Indeed the intention is not to have this qualification as an exit qualification. It is a qualification which leads learners to other courses. They could go to the further education and training; they could go to all the courses that I have mentioned. There is no intention to dump learners.
More importantly as the hon member is saying, for higher education we do even need to consult with them. We have a working team with them which on an ongoing basis deals with qualifications and assessments. They are custodians of your Qualifications Frameworks Authority, we work with Umalusi. All these courses have been properly cascaded.
Hon Chair, what is more important is that, as South Africa in the whole SADC, we were the only country which did not assess learners in the standardized manner by the time they finish their basic education. This is to strengthen the system. It is a decision that has long been taken in our system. Even if you look at the eastern
countries, countries assess learners when they finish their basic education phase.
We are just implementing what we had long agreed on but had delayed because of different challenges that were confronting us as a country. We feel that we have stabilized the system adequately; we can begin to implement some of the old decisions that were taken as a country which are in line with international practice. Thank you.