Higher education

For the first time in the history of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Bulletins, the writing of papers and the production phases of the Bulletin materialised within the context of a global pandemic. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has become a topical area of discussion and engagement across various sectors, including education and training, and developments have gained momentum under Covid-19.

This guide provides an introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) for students in post-secondary and higher education. It is aimed at helping you, as students, to explore the value of good quality OER, and provides an introduction on how to find and use OER. It intends to serve primarily as a source of reference for students in the Small States of the Commonwealth, but we hope it will be useful to students from any country.

The Global E-Schools and Communities Initiative (Gesci), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and other partners, developed an African Leaders in ICT (ALICT) capacity-building programme. The first phase of the programme ran from 2012-2013, focusing on leadership capacitybuilding in twelve countries (Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia).

In 2012, the World OER Congress was held in Paris, featuring presentations from key supporters of OER worldwide. The congress, which attracted over 400 participants (governments and educational and OER experts) from 70 countries, emphasised using OER as a means of providing equal access to knowledge. It showcased innovative policies and initiatives that demonstrate the potential of OER to improve communities. The congress also featured various ways in which OER serve as tools for collaboration and the creation of learning resources.

To guide future investments in capacity building that will build responsible AI development and deployment, it is important to know answers to questions such as: what does the AI landscape in SSA look like? What measures are stakeholders in the region taking to ensure that they are AI- ready?

Where does capacity already exist or not?

NBA is currently managing the development of curriculum content and open learning materials for the Occupational Certificate: Electrician Programme (OCEP) for the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The DHET has selected the Occupational Certificate: Electrician programme as the first programme to be developed and delivered through the National Open Learning System (NOLS).

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) jointly developed the Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES) programme, and were considering working on supporting quality assurance (QA) efforts in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) through regional capacity building. DAAD thus commissioned NBA to conduct a research study to provide information about QA in the region as a basis for future work of DAAD/DIES and the regional and national partners.

UNESCO IITE and OER Africa partnered to prepare a publication that critically reviews the growth of OER and its potential impact on education systems around the world. The publication is based on desktop research and country case studies, which were prepared with input from OER experts from 15 countries in five UNESCO regions. The findings indicate that many efforts have been made to promote OER and its use, with funding and support by several donors and intergovernmental organizations, governments, and education institutions.