Presentation Description (for publishing in the conference program)
South Africa is a major destination for asylum-seekers as well as refugees and other displaced persons seeking better economic and social opportunities. The country has ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and it 1967 Protocol ensuring the rights of refugees are respected and protected. The South African Qualifications Authority acknowledges the unique challenges faced by asylum seekers and refugees with regards to recognition of their qualifications and has built much experience in understanding the challenges faced by this cohort of the population. Consequently, SAQA recently published an addendum to its Policy and Criteria for Evaluating Foreign Qualifications within the South African NQF (as amended, March 2017) which considers the importance to make special provisions for recognizing the qualifications of asylum seekers and refugees for study of work purposes. The session focuses on sharing the lessons of a pilot project initiated by SAQA along with a number of stakeholders, in developing and testing a model to recognize the qualifications of asylum seekers and refugees entering the country.
