Over the past few years, an initiative called the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) has been unfolding in South Africa. The NQF has as its vision the integration of education and training and the creation of mechanisms through which all learners can receive accreditation for their learning, irrespective of where such learning takes place, and can progress through the education and training system. The passage of the SAQA Act in 1995, and the establishment of the SAQA Board in 1996 provided the framework for the implementation of the NQF. The success or failure of the NQF will depend largely on the extent to which it addresses the major challenges facing South Africa, not only in terms of education and training but also the need to cope with the economic imperatives of society through the conquest of poverty, hunger and unemployment. This paper explores the extent to which the NQF addresses these issues by examining it in relation to "out-of-school youth". The paper begins by providing the background and origins of the NQF. It is argued that the NQF has its origins in a web of interlocking local and international economic ideological, social and political concerns. The paper then considers some of the key proposals of the NQF for the restructuring of education and training, and finally focus on implications for youth.
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