How to get a Matric Certificate (NQF 4)

Not getting your matric certificate (NQF 4) isn’t such a big deal anymore. Here are options laid out for you to help you get an NQF 4.

An NQF 4 stands for National Qualifications Framework. Every qualification in South Africa is rated on this framework.

Before you start hyperventilating because you’ve never heard of “NQF” before and it sounds foreign, hear me out. If you passed matric then you definitely have an NQF 4. If you didn’t pass matric, don’t worry. It’s easy to remedy that and get one without interrupting your life too much.

These are the NQF’s that you would leave high school with:

Grade 9 – NQF 1

Grade 10 – NQF 2

Grade 11 – NQF 3

Grade 12 – NQF 4

In South Africa, you get awarded a General Education and Training Certificate if you leave school in Grade 9. Many South Africans opt to leave school in Grade 9 due to circumstances which don’t allow them to continue. These people can’t continue any tertiary education as it requires an NQF 4. Find out more about all NQF Levels.

Everyone keeps talking about NQF levels this and NQF levels that. Find out more and get a broader understanding of all the ins and outs of the NQF system.

What is tertiary education? 

You probably assumed that tertiary education means university only. It does not. High school is secondary level education while a tertiary institution offers third-level education. Any institution that offers courses which are NQF 4 and above, is a tertiary institution.

Tertiary qualifications include:

• Various certificates
• Diplomas
• Degrees

This means that any private institutions, colleges and universities which allow you to qualify in a specialized field to grant you access to better job opportunities is a tertiary institution that offers tertiary education.

How this helps

Whether you didn’t proceed after Grade 9 or your Grade 12 results weren’t good enough to get into university or another tertiary institution, this helps you. 

At Damelin Correspondence you can get your grade 10, 11 and 12 certificates. You can get the normal NQF 4 or you can get a more specialized NQF 4. Specialities include accounting, engineering and early child development. There are many more specialties.  Head over to their website to see more. Some NQF 2 and 3 courses are also more specialized than the general high school courses. You need to decide what works best for you.

With colleges like Damelin Correspondence you can study from home, work and get your NQF 4 or improve your matric marks. Get on it. You can browse courses and options right now.

Why do you need an NQF 4 (Matric Certificate)?

An NQF 4 grants you access to tertiary institutions. More importantly, most employers require you to have a minimum of a matric certificate or NQF 4. More physical work generally does not require this, but not everyone is cut out for physical work. You also don’t want to stay in the same position for the rest of your life. Everyone has a dream house and lifestyle that needs finances to achieve.

Why you CAN do this!

Even if you need to work to sustain yourself and family or simply can’t afford going back to full-time school or studies, you can still get your NQF 4.  Damelin Correspondence is a distance learning institute. You can study from home, in your own time and continue working.  They are reasonably priced so if you live on a strict budget for a while, you can do it.

Damelin Correspondence is accredited, which means they meet the national standard of education. Employers are more likely to accept you if you have an accredited qualification. NOT all of their courses are accredited, so just double check before applying for the course if accreditation is important to you.

They also have a system in place called the prior learning merit system. If you do not meet the requirements, you can contact the college and find out if your prior learning has any credibility and you could still qualify for the course. Prior learning will include short courses or other forms of education that you took part in previously.

You may be wondering how you will be able to survive the matric year and the exam season itself. Here are some tips and advice on how to prepare to pass matric – like a boss.