Dr Rekha Rambharose, head of the University of the Western Cape’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Unit, recently authored a policy brief that has been formally acknowledged by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) as an important contribution to national policy dialogue. In this Q&A, she reflects on what this recognition means for the future of RPL, how her recommendations could shape universities and colleges, and why building a socially just digital RPL ecosystem matters for South Africa’s learners, institutions and workforce.
1. What does this acknowledgement really mean, and why is it significant for RPL? What message does it send about the future of RPL?
Dr Rekha Rambharose: For me, the acknowledgement represents much more than recognition of a single policy brief. It demonstrates the value of constructive dialogue between higher education practice, scholarly research and national policy development.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) has long been recognised within South Africa's National Qualifications Framework as an important mechanism for widening access, promoting lifelong learning and recognising knowledge acquired through work, community engagement and life experience. What this engagement with SAQA demonstrates is that there is also space for continued dialogue about how RPL can evolve in response to changing educational realities.
The response from SAQA reinforces that the future of RPL lies not only in providing access to higher education, but also in strengthening learner success, articulation, digital transformation, practitioner development and lifelong learning across the post-school education and training sector. It sends a positive message that national stakeholders are committed to ensuring that RPL continues to evolve in ways that respond to the needs of contemporary learners and society. The engagement also reflects the openness of SAQA as a learning organisation that values constructive dialogue with practitioners and researchers. This type of engagement strengthens not only policy development, but also the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework through shared learning and continuous improvement.
2. Your recommendations will be considered in four major national policy processes. How could these influence the way universities, TVET colleges and public institutions recognise people's existing knowledge and skills?
SAQA team led by Research Manager Dr Heidi Bolton collaborates with UWC RPL Unit at the 2024 National RPL day, L-R Mr Robin Parenzee, Dr Rekha Rambharose, Dr Heidi Bolton and Mr Beltus Sirathaza. Image:Supplied If implemented over time, these recommendations have the potential to strengthen consistency and collaboration across the post-school education and training system.
RPL should not be viewed simply as an admissions process. It is an educational strategy that enables institutions to recognise valuable learning wherever it has taken place. Strengthening national implementation frameworks, digital standards, practitioner development and lifelong learning systems can help institutions move towards more integrated and learner-centred approaches.
Ultimately, this could improve learner mobility between education sectors, strengthen articulation pathways, support workforce development and enable more adults to continue learning throughout their lives. It also creates opportunities for institutions to recognise existing capabilities more effectively while maintaining academic quality and integrity and contributing to ongoing policy development from the implementation perspective.
3. One of the central themes of your policy brief is creating a socially just digital RPL ecosystem. What does that look like in practice, and how could it make higher education more accessible for people who have gained knowledge through work and life experience rather than formal qualifications?
A socially just digital RPL ecosystem recognises that access alone is not enough.
Adult learners require opportunities to succeed once they enter higher education. This means integrating policy, assessment, curriculum, student support, digital technologies, practitioner expertise and institutional leadership into a coordinated system that supports learners throughout their educational journey.
Many adults develop highly sophisticated knowledge through employment, entrepreneurship, leadership, community service, caregiving and professional practice. Our educational systems should be capable of recognising these forms of learning while providing appropriate academic support to enable learners to thrive.
Digital technologies also create opportunities to make RPL more flexible through online portfolio development, digital evidence, virtual advising and multimodal assessment, making access more responsive to the realities of working adults.
SAQA CEO Ms Nadia Starr opening the UWC UPSET (unfurling post school education and training) Hub at UWC February 2025. Image:Supplied 4. The policy brief highlights the role of digital transformation and artificial intelligence in RPL. How can technologies such as AI improve the assessment of prior learning while ensuring the process remains fair, credible and inclusive?
Artificial intelligence should never replace academic judgement or the expertise of RPL practitioners. Rather, it should support more efficient, accessible and responsive processes.
AI has the potential to assist learners in organising portfolios, identifying evidence of learning, improving reflective writing, mapping workplace experience against learning outcomes and providing formative guidance during the portfolio development process.
At the same time, institutions must ensure that AI is implemented ethically through appropriate governance, transparency, human oversight and quality assurance. Fairness remains central to RPL. Technology should strengthen equity rather than create new barriers. The future lies in combining human expertise with responsible digital innovation to enhance rather than replace educational judgement.
5. Many people see RPL as a niche process, yet you argue it is closely linked to lifelong learning, learner mobility and educational transformation. Why should South Africans care about strengthening RPL, and what difference could it make to individuals, employers and the country's skills development agenda?
Every day, South Africans acquire valuable knowledge outside formal classrooms.
People learn through work, raising families, volunteering, entrepreneurship, leadership, military service, community development and professional practice. Recognition of Prior Learning provides a mechanism for acknowledging this learning and creating opportunities for further education and career development.
Strengthening RPL benefits individuals by expanding access to education and supporting lifelong learning. It benefits employers by recognising workplace capability and encouraging continuous professional development. It benefits the country by helping to develop a more inclusive, responsive and skilled workforce while strengthening social justice and educational transformation. In many ways, RPL reflects a simple but powerful principle: learning has value regardless of where it takes place.
1. Why this matters for UWC
This is an important example of how scholarship developed within the University of the Western Cape can contribute to national policy discussions. It reflects UWC's longstanding commitment to social justice, widening participation, lifelong learning and educational transformation.
2. The Journey Behind the Policy Brief
This policy brief was not developed in isolation, nor was it the product of a single project. It represents the culmination of more than two decades of institutional learning through the implementation of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) at the University of the Western Cape, combined with years of research, teaching, leadership and engagement with adult learners navigating access to higher education.
My perspective has been shaped by working directly with thousands of adult learners, collaborating with academics, practitioners and policymakers, and contributing to national and international conversations on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Validation of Prior Learning (VPL). Receiving the European Centre for the Validation of Prior Learning's Global VPL Award, contributing to international scholarship through my role on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO) Journal, and serving as an Associate Research Partner with the European Centre for the Validation of Prior Learning, have enabled me to bring together local implementation experience with international perspectives. This convergence of practice, research and policy has shaped the vision presented in the policy brief and continues to inform my work towards strengthening the implementation of Recognition of Prior Learning, advancing lifelong learning, and developing a socially just digital RPL ecosystem in South Africa and beyond.
More recently, my participation as a Teaching Advancement at Universities (TAU) Fellow provided a unique opportunity to integrate scholarship, institutional practice and policy engagement. The policy brief emerged from this environment of critical reflection and collaboration, demonstrating how sustained academic inquiry can extend beyond institutional boundaries to contribute to national policy dialogue and educational transformation.
Looking ahead, I remain committed to advancing a socially just digital Recognition of Prior Learning ecosystem that strengthens access, learner success, lifelong learning and educational mobility.
Through continued collaboration with national and international partners, I hope to contribute to the ongoing professionalisation of RPL practice, evidence-informed policy implementation, responsible digital innovation and expanded opportunities for adult learners whose knowledge, skills and capabilities have been developed through work, community engagement and lived experience.
This work is particularly meaningful as 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of Recognition of Prior Learning at the University of the Western Cape. For a quarter of a century, UWC has been at the forefront of advancing socially just access to higher education through RPL, demonstrating that experiential learning has value and deserves recognition. As the University celebrates this important milestone, the policy brief and SAQA's formal engagement reflect not only the continued evolution of RPL nationally, but also UWC's enduring contribution to shaping policy, practice and scholarship in support of lifelong learning, educational transformation and social justice.
3. The distinction between policy and implementation
One of the most valuable outcomes of the engagement with SAQA was the opportunity to distinguish between national policy intent and institutional implementation.
South Africa has progressive national RPL policies. The ongoing challenge is ensuring these policies are enacted consistently across institutions. Constructive dialogue between policymakers and practitioners helps strengthen implementation while supporting the original intentions of the National Qualifications Framework. I think this is one of the most important intellectual outcomes of the process.
4. The broader message
Recognition of Prior Learning is not simply about recognising the past.
It is about creating opportunities for the future. When educational systems recognise what people already know, they create new possibilities for continued learning, career progression and social mobility.
5. Collaborative Policy Stewardship
One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey has been the opportunity to engage constructively with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), an institution that has played a pivotal role in advancing the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and lifelong learning in South Africa.
The University of the Western Cape's Recognition of Prior Learning Unit has enjoyed a longstanding and productive relationship with SAQA, working together over many years to strengthen RPL policy, practice and implementation. This latest engagement reflects the value of ongoing dialogue between higher education institutions and national policy bodies, where scholarly research, institutional implementation and policy leadership come together in pursuit of a shared vision.
I am deeply appreciative of the openness and collegiality demonstrated throughout this engagement. The willingness of Chief Executive Officer Ms Nadia Starr, Chief Operating Officer Dr Makhapa Makhafola, and Dr Heidi Bolton, Senior Manager: Research and Development, together with their respective teams, to engage thoughtfully with the policy brief reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework, advancing lifelong learning, and enhancing Recognition of Prior Learning for the benefit of all South Africans.
The significance of this engagement lies not simply in the acknowledgement of a policy brief, but in demonstrating how constructive dialogue between policymakers and practitioners can contribute to strengthening educational policy implementation. It reinforces the principle that effective policy development is enriched by evidence from institutional practice, while implementation is strengthened through ongoing engagement with national policy leadership. This collaborative approach creates opportunities to enhance access, learner success, educational mobility and lifelong learning across South Africa's post-school education and training sector.
