ABSTRACT
N o w tha t th e dus t o f celebrations ha s set , i t ha s becom e imperativ e o n th e
government an d th e peopl e o f Sou th Af r i ca t o tackle the challenge s o f b u i l d -
i n g a new ethos , i n all aspects o f life , tha t w o u ld remov e th e injustice s o f th e
past an d s imul taneousl y shap e th e futur e o f the country . I t i s w i th thi s i n
m i n d tha t n e w educatio n ideal s ar e be in g discussed , debate d an d f inal l y
accepted a s pol icy. O ne o f the mos t significan t changes i n educat ion po l i c y i s
the merg in g of educat ion an d t ra inin g as a singular educational concept . T h e
development o f a N a t i o n a l Qual i f icat ion s F r a m e w o rk ( N Q F ) i s see n a s a
key strategy i n integrating education an d training . A core and a we l come, ele -
ment o f the N Q F is the recogni t io n of p r ior learning ( R P L ). A closely related
recogni t ion i s that learning can take plac e i n mul t ip le modes an d a t mul t ip l e
sites. H e n c e , i t i s argued , th e ne w educatio n f ramewor k make s l i fe lon g
learning not s imp l y a desirable objectiv e bu t als o a very rea l possibil i ty . T h i s
means that , theoretically , thos e w h o i n th e pas t wer e unabl e t o fulf i l thei r
educational ambi t ions may n ow have th e oppor tuni t y to do so irrespective o f
where o n th e educationa l ladde r the y ma y current l y find themselves . I t als o
changes th e educat io n landscap e o f the future ; i t w o u ld b e possibl e t o pla n
one's educationa l pat h w i t h m u c h mor e f lexibi l i ty ; i t al low s on e t o b u i l d a
career w i t h o u t sacrificin g educationa l aspiration s an d i t al low s fo r th e
338 I N T E R N A T I O N A L PERSPECTIVE S O N L I F E L O NG L E A R N I N G
transportability o f educational achievement s an d w o r k experienc e int o dif -
ferent area s of learning and int o differen t w o r k situations .
