About the framework
The Pacific Qualifications Framework (PQF) facilitates the realisation of a good quality education and training systems in the Pacific region. It is a meta-framework that establishes comparability and facilitates recognition of qualifications across Pacific countries’ education and training systems, as well as with other regional or international frameworks.
The PQF also serves as a national qualifications framework for those Pacific countries that may not yet have the capacity to develop a national qualifications framework. The PQF level descriptors can be applied to complete qualifications and components of qualifications.
Adopting international practice, the PQF is distinguished by the following two key characteristics.
- Outcomes-based: Each framework level describes in broad terms the progressive complexity of knowledge, skills and competence from one level to the next higher level. This enhances understanding of what knowledge, skills and competencies learners have acquired.
- Credit-based: Each credit represents the time an average learner takes to achieve the learning outcomes of a unit of study. One credit is equivalent to ten notional hours of learning. One year of full-time study is generally equivalent to 120 credits. Credits define the volume of learning for complete qualifications and their components. The total credit value of a qualification is the sum of the credits of its components, which may be courses, papers, units, modules or competencies. This system facilitates the transferability of learning as people move from one institution or country to another.
What EQAP does to support the framework
Since 2004, the Pacific Community’s Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP), formely known as the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA), has worked on the development and sustenance of the PQF. Following the direction of the Pacific’s education leaders, EQAP’s Qualifications team:
- supports countries that have qualifications authorities with the development of qualifications frameworks and quality assurance strategies in alignment with the PQF; and
- supports countries that do not have qualifications authorities to directly use the structures accommodated by the PQF.
The structure of the PQF
The structure of the Pacific Qualifications Framework is comprehensive, and recognises achievements from secondary school, higher education, technical and vocational education and training, and non-formal learning.
The PQF has 10 levels that range from a basic certificate at Level 1 to a doctorate degree at level 10.
The Pacific Register of Qualifications and Standards
The main purpose of the Pacific Register of Qualifications and Standards (PRQS) is to facilitate the benchmarking of Pacific qualifications against international standards. This is achieved through the use of the Pacific Qualifications Framework (PQF) as a translation device. Qualifications from Pacific Island countries and territories will be referenced against the PQF and a level for registration on the PRQS will be confirmed. The PQF will also be the instrument that will establish comparability of Pacific qualifications with other international education and training systems.
For more details, visit the PRQS site: https://prqs.spc.int/
The Pacific Qualifications Recognition Project
Founded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), the Pacific Qualifications Recognition Project aims to strengthen the Pacific Qualifications Framework and national qualifications frameworks and systems so that Pacific qualifications are more widely recognised, enabling the movement of learners and skilled workers.
Strengthening the Pacific Qualifications Framework will enhance the quality of education across the Pacific region and increase opportunities for Pacific people.
The five-year project is being jointly implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC) in partnership with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
As part of this work, SPC and NZQA are working closely with the quality assurance agencies and ministries of education of nine Pacific countries that are party to the PACER Plus trade agreement.
For more details, visit the PQRP: https://eqap.spc.int/pqrp
Reports and publications
Pacific Qualifications Framework [PDF]