Policy bodies, the PoMiSA project and institutions actively exploring microcredentials.
The South African Qualifications Authority is the custodian of the NQF. It has convened a National Working Group on Microcredentials (meetings continuing through 2026) and previously published discussion material on the recognition of small units of learning. SAQA’s work is central to any future registration or recognition arrangements.
The Department of Higher Education and Training provides the overarching policy direction for the post-school education and training system. Earlier discussion papers on recognition of learning and microcredentials, together with current skills and lifelong learning priorities, shape the environment in which microcredentials are developing.
The Council on Higher Education is the quality council for higher education. It has issued Communiqué guidance on the offering of microcredentials by higher education institutions while national frameworks are still under development, emphasising institutional responsibility for quality and integrity.
The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations is relevant for occupational and skills-development pathways. Discussions about how microcredentials might relate to occupational qualifications and part-qualifications continue within the broader NQF conversation.
PoMiSA is a collaborative Erasmus+-funded capacity-building project that brings together Southern African and European partners to develop principles, policies and guidelines for the recognition, quality assurance and regulation of microcredentials in the region.
South African partners include the University of Johannesburg (project lead), JET Education Services, North-West University, the University of South Africa, the Council on Higher Education and SAQA, among others.
Key public outputs include the country “State of Play” reports (South Africa report edited by Andrew Paterson and Zahraa McDonald) and the subsequent Synthesis Report (2025). These documents remain the most detailed comparative baseline available for the region. The project website hosts the full set of reports: pomisa.hec.mu.
A growing number of South African higher education institutions have begun internal work on frameworks, short learning programmes framed as microcredentials, or digital badging. The list below is illustrative rather than exhaustive and reflects publicly reported activity.
NWU, for example, has adopted a formal Framework for Micro-credentials that situates them in relation to existing credit and module structures. UJ’s short learning programme policy explicitly references micro- and nano-credentials. Many institutions continue to offer substantial portfolios of short courses that already meet many of the functional criteria of microcredentials.
The PoMiSA South Africa country report noted that in 2024 a significant number of universities were already offering microcredentials or equivalent institutional activities. Activity continues to expand as national guidance firms up.
The National Working Group on Microcredentials, convened under the auspices of SAQA and linked to PoMiSA, is expected to contribute to a more coherent national position. Parallel work on the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework and occupational qualifications reform also influences the space in which microcredentials will sit.
This site will continue to track public developments. For the most current official documents always refer to the websites of SAQA, the CHE and DHET.