Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Policy Failure or Pathway to Transformation?

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Policy Failure or Pathway to Transformation? Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) has long been positioned in South African higher education policy as a tool for redress and transformation. However, while the national framework is progressive, its implementation remains uneven, selective, and often exclusionary. This paper investigates the gap between national commitments and institutional practices through a critical autoethnographic case study, combining lived experience, institutional correspondence, and policy analysis. The study contributes to the RPL literature in three key ways: Concrete Institutional Comparisons– Demonstrates how UNISA accepts RPL applications at postgraduate levels while the University of the Free State categorically rejects them, and Stellenbosch University applies inconsistent, decentralised processes. These contrasts expose systemic arbitrariness and institutional gatekeeping. Integration of Industry Practice– Shows how global industry leaders (e.g., Microsoft, Google, Tesla) already validate competence using Portfolios of Evidence (POE), GitHub repositories, and performance-based exams, raising the question why universities resist similar outcome-based standards. Policy Innovation– Proposes a Higher Education “Umalusi” to standardise and enforce RPL across NQF Levels 2–10, ensuring fairness in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), community colleges, and universities. Findings: RPL in South Africa is “caught between transformative ideals and conservative gatekeeping.” Institutional autonomy allows universities to disregard or distort national policy. Applicants face opaque processes, arbitrary exclusions, and wasted opportunities. The consequences include wasted human capital, continued elitism in higher education, and the exclusion of skilled but uncertified workers from the mainstream economy. Recommendations: Standardise and enforce RPL nationally across NQF 2–10. Establish a Higher Education “Umalusi” under SAQA to moderate outcomes. Mandate acceptance of outcome-based assessments such as POE and GitHub portfolios. Require transparency through annual RPL reporting and audits. Protect applicants’ rights by framing RPL as a constitutional entitlement rather than a discretionary privilege. Conclusion:RPL has the potential to be more than symbolic policy — it can become a pathway of transformation. By certifying the thousands of South Africans who already demonstrate skills in informal or unregulated spaces, the education system can widen access, support entrepreneurship, and accelerate inclusive economic growth.