Application Form to enroll for the Portfolio of Short Courses (FPF)

By attending the above short courses, participants earn a number of Educational Credits (ECs). The Public Finance Management Academy maintains a central register where these credits are administered. The ECs provide participants with focus and clearly stated objectives. This assists employers to monitor the continued professional education and training progress, and the manner in which their staff is committed to continued professional education and training.

The Educational Credits form part of the requirements for the SAIGA Portfolio of Short Courses.

In order to complete the Portfolio of Short Courses, participants have to meet two basic requirements:

• earn a minimum of 120 EC's and

• enrol for and complete an assessment.

THE PORTFOLIO OF SHORT COURSES from the Public Finance Management Academy of the Southern African Institute of Government Auditors:

Background

The promulgation of the Public Finance Management Act and related legislation such as the Municipal Finance Management Act and the Treasury Regulations has created the need for many public sector officials to acquire numerous management knowledge and skills specifically related to the public sector.

SAIGA’s Portfolio of Short Courses is designed to address this challenge. Flexibility, mobility and accessibility are built-in features to enable financial managers in the public sector to be empowered with the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the requirements of the legislation referred to above.

The content of the short courses is designed around the Public Finance Management Act and related legislation.

The Public Finance Management Academy has secured the services of various leading professional educators and academics with specific public sector experience to develop and present the continued professional education (CPE) short courses.

OBE Approach

Accreditation by the National Treasury’s Validation Board

National Treasury set up a Validation Board to “accredit” or “validate” short-term training programmes and to address coordination and quality issues which surround the programmes available to existing employees (this Board ceased to operate in 2006). The aims of the validation mechanism were to coordinate activities and to advise departments of relevant programmes which target identified needs and are delivered to a suitable quality. The Short Courses of SAIGA’s Public Finance Management Programme™ were all accredited by the National Treasury’s Validation Board until it ceased to operate in 2006.

The short courses of SAIGA’s Public Finance Management Programme all received accreditation by the National Treasury’s Validation Board.

The purpose of the Portfolio of Short Courses

The purpose of the Portfolio of Short Courses is to provide participants with specialised knowledge, skills and applied competence in the field of Public Finance Management that will provide opportunities for continued intellectual and professional growth, to gain full economic activity and rewarding contributions to society.

Another purpose of the Portfolio of Short Courses is to provide a process which will assist in providing South Africa with significant numbers of public financial managers who will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to and serve the country's public sector by performing their management function in terms of the new Public Finance Management Act, Treasury Regulations and related legislation.

Exit levels outcomes: associated assessment criteria

The learning outcomes can be judged against the following criteria:

• The Public Finance Management Acts (for all three tiers of government)

• Treasury Regulations (for all three tiers of government)

• The Public Service Regulations

• National and international best practices in the following:

  • Management of Revenue

  • Management of Expenditure

  • Management of Assets

  • Management of Liabilities

  • Risk Management

  • Control Self-Assessment

  • Fraud prevention, detection and correction

  • Performance auditing

  • Internal Control

  • Internal audit

  • Governance

  • Public Accountability

  • Generally Recognised Accounting Practices (GRAP) or alternatively:

  • Preparation of Annual Financial Statements.
     

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Educational Credits (EC's) required

Participants attending the short courses of Public Finance Management Programme earn Educational Credits (EC's) for attending each short course. The Public Finance Management Academy maintains a central register where these credits are administered.

The Educational Credits form part of the requirements for the Portfolio of Short Courses. In order to obtain the Portfolio of Short Courses, participants have to meet two basic requirements:

• earn a minimum of 120 EC's and

• enrol for and complete an assessment.

It is the responsibility of participants to submit an application for assessment after having earned the minimum 120 educational credits (an application form can be downloaded at the bottom of this page).

The various EC's assigned to the different short courses of the Public Finance Management Programme are listed below:

Assessment:

The Educational Committee of the Public Finance Management Academy, in accordance with educational principles of assessment, decided that portfolios and restricted response questions are the most appropriate instruments of assessment.

Portfolios:

A portfolio is a collection of different types of evidence, which relates to the work being assessed. It can also include a variety of work samples. Portfolios are suited to assessments for long term activities and may include evidence from the participant’s day-to-day work as well as knowledge gained from previous work situations, learning or other experiences and they are an enduring record. Portfolios are useful in situations where direct observation of the learner may be difficult.

It is important that evidence collected be sufficient and related to current requirements according to the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

Restricted response questions:

Restricted response questions are so called because the form and content of the response is limited by the way in which the question is asked. These questions differ from short- answer questions in that the correct answers are not predetermined, and consequently the assessors have to exercise their professional judgement when interpreting participants' responses.

Guidelines and requirements regarding the assignment:

• Evidence of the day-to-day work related to the implementation of the PFMA and TR may be included.

• The assignment has to be typed (this does not apply to any evidence or work-related schedules attached).

• Part 1 (intentions of the legislators): Minimum 750 words.

• Part 2 (a) & (b) (implementation): Minimum 4,000 words excluding schedules related to day-to-day work.

• Although attendance of all short courses of the Public Finance Management Programme (PFMP) is not required, the assignment requires candidates to address the implementation of the PFMA in all relevant areas. It is safe to assume that participants which have attended a particular short course of the PFMP will be able to address the topic of the course sufficiently. As far as other areas are concerned, they will have to draw on prior learning, self-study, work experiences and research carried out.

Procedure:

• Complete the Application form to enrol for the Portfolio of Short Courses (see downloadable version, or contact the SAIGA Secretariat for a copy).

• Post the completed form together with a cheque for R114.00 (R100.00 plus 14% VAT) to SAIGA at: PO Box 36303; Menlo Park; 0102. The cheque has to be made out to The Southern African Institute of Government Auditors (SAIGA). Please note that this fee is non-refundable. You can also make a direct bank deposit (contact the SAIGA Secretariat for banking details and fax a copy of the transfer or deposit slip to the Secretariat).

• The SAIGA Secretariat will verify the Educational Credits as submitted and issue a clearance letter. This letter allows the applicant to submit the assignment.

• The following must be submitted to the SAIGA Secretariat (PO Box 36303 Menlo Park 0102):
   

  • One printed copy of the completed assignment

  • The letter of clearance

  • A signed and certified declaration that the submitted work (Part 1: minimum of 750 words and Part 2: minimum of 4,000 words) constitutes the original work by the candidate (this does not apply to any evidence or work-related schedules attached).
     

• Participants will be informed of the outcome of the assessment within three weeks after submission. The Educational Committee may require candidates to submit additional evidence in areas which have not been sufficiently dealt with.

• The Portfolio of Short Courses will be issued to successful candidates free of any additional costs.

Application Form to enroll for the Portfolio of Short Courses (FPF)

SAIGA membership of APPETD

• Ensuring that its members maintain the high standards that are comparable to outcomes for all sectors of education and training.

• Ensuring that users of all private institutions are receiving the best possible education and training in their chosen field;

• Ensuring that employers recognise that a qualification awarded by an APPETD member provides them with competent personnel;

• Ensuring that members run their institutions according to the Code of Ethics which governs the Association;

• Ensuring that the Association itself markets its standards and ethics to all audiences including prospective students;

• Ensuring that the Executive Committee of APPETD is elected annually from a body of top decision makers from South Africa’s leading private providers;

• Ensuring that its members maintain the high standards that are comparable to outcomes for all sectors of education and training.

APPETD is represented on:

• the National Skills Authority (NSA) and representation on the ETQA that is responsible for quality assurance of your organisation;

• the HEQC, the accrediting body for higher education providers;

• Umalusi, the accrediting body for general and further education providers;

• several SETAs, NSBs, SGBs and many other important bodies to affect providers.