The National Qualifications Framework in Egypt

The young man asked me:

What is the National Qualifications Framework that we heard you talk about repeatedly?

I said:

The National Qualifications Framework is a framework that defines a level for each of the national qualifications according to a set of reference indicators that show the components of learning that constitutes the qualification. It is used as a tool to compare the learning outcomes that are usually described by the content of knowledge, skill and merit acquired by the qualification holder. It is considered one of the quality assurance tools based on the standards that education and training bodies work on in the formation or development of the qualification they offer. Its usefulness is manifested in organizing the labor market and reconciling supply and demand with labor mobility locally and internationally. It is seen as a way to enable lifelong learning for all individuals.

He said: How are qualifications usually described in the world, what is the situation in Egypt and what is its importance?

I said: In order for us to draw a map of qualifications in Egypt, the first step must begin with a visualization of what the national framework for qualifications should look like, so that it accommodates all types of qualifications at various levels that will be developed in this framework in a logical and consistent manner, based on a set of agreed upon common standards. .

Qualifications are described under Learning Outcomes and Competences that describe what a person is expected to be able to do or know as a result of the educational process during the study period or as a result of prior work experience, with an emphasis on the person’s ability to integrate skills, knowledge, and behaviors When applying the learning outcomes in the field of work.

It is assumed that the frame, upon completion of its design, shall have the following characteristics:

First – Clarity of the relationship between the different types of professional and academic qualifications offered by different education systems, such as general education, higher education, technical education, and vocational training, without differentiating between public and private education and formal and informal education. Ownership of the educational institution or training center is not a determinant of qualification, and it is the view that we have to understand. The output of the educational or training process is the basis of judgment.

Second – Description of the qualification on the basis of the knowledge and skills acquired by graduates from various education and training tracks, which leads to facilitating the harmonization of qualifications to the needs of employment and employment in the internal and external labor markets, and in a manner that encourages lifelong learning and the employment of acquired skills.

Third – Achieving better opportunities for people who are currently suffering from closed educational ends, and are forced to stop education at the bottleneck between education and training paths. It also allows setting rules for the recognition of qualifications obtained by an individual from outside the formal education and training systems.

Fourth – Providing better opportunities for placing Egyptian national qualifications on the international qualifications map. The extrapolation of any educational system and any qualification obtained by the graduate from other countries and different educational systems, is the basis for mutual recognition of qualifications, and facilitator of the movement of labor and employment across borders between countries and regions.

From the foregoing, it becomes clear the importance of having a national framework for professional and academic qualifications, and that its establishment and implementation requires a consensual action involving all responsible ministries and relevant bodies, and it must also include the effective participation of employers’ organizations. Rather, this framework must be compatible in one way or another with the frameworks recognized in other countries.

One of the main features of the design of the National Qualifications Framework is that it consists of an appropriate number of levels of qualifications determined according to the prevailing conditions in the labor market and educational sources in Egypt. It is usual for the country to choose 7 or 8 levels, and sometimes the minimum is reduced to 5 levels and the number may rise to 12 levels, and there is nothing to prevent the difference between countries in the number of levels.

It is common for countries to use three main indicators to determine the difference between each level and another, to place the qualification in the appropriate position within the country’s national qualifications framework. The common denominator of the indicators among most countries is: knowledge, skills and competencies. However, there are a few countries that use multiple indicators to describe competencies. I mean by them the following definitions:-

1- Knowledge: It is described on the basis of theoretical knowledge, concepts or facts.

2- Skills: These are described on the basis of communication skills, digital skills, the use of logic, intuition, and innovative thinking. They are also described as practical skills, which include manual skills and the use of tools, materials, tools and equipment.

3- Competencies: They are described through the extent of responsibility, independence, ability to learn and effective participation with others.

And according to the types of qualifications prevailing in Egypt, they must be divided into three main branches in terms of their dependence on the different qualification bodies, which are:

A – General education qualifications (pre-university group).

B- A group of higher and university education qualifications.

C- A set of qualifications for technical education and vocational training.

The Technical Committee of the project entrusted by the ETF with Egypt years ago submitted a report on the establishment of the national framework for professional and academic qualifications, which included a proposal that the national framework for professional and academic qualifications for Egypt should consist of 8 levels initially, to conform this number with the prevailing conditions for education and training and the structure of The labor market in Egypt, and that this proposed framework should serve as the beginning of the establishment of the national framework for qualifications in the country, in addition to not neglecting the presence of a large number of citizens who obtain various qualifications from outside the formal education systems, and there is no way to include these qualifications except through the development of Rules for the recognition of qualifications acquired from informal sources.

This framework will serve as a tool to link the various qualification paths in all sectors and their branches, and its functional nature will be like an umbrella under which the standards that will be entrusted to each of the parties concerned with the formation of qualifications to take into account in the description of learning outcomes according to the indicator

which are agreed upon.

An initial comparison of Egyptian qualifications on an eight-step scale.

We do not forget, after that, that this must be linked to a permit to practice various professions, so that the labor market is regulated fairly according to the degrees of professional merit for each specialization, while linking all this to the wage scale. Self-evident issues for those who make sense and there is no reason not to implement it.