Jo Samuels

Joe Samuels has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) as from 1 March 2012.
He holds a BSc (Hons) and an MPhil from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. He is a specialist in Educational Policy and Education Change, Qualifications Frameworks, Standards Setting, Quality Assurance and Adult and Community Education.
He worked in a medical laboratory, as a teacher, a Physiology Lecturer (UWC) and as the Coordinator: Continuing Education Programmes at the Centre for Adult and Continuing Education (CACE) at the University of the Western Cape for 10 years prior to joining SAQA. He was the Director for Standards Setting and Development before he was promoted to the position of Deputy Executive Officer which he held for 7 years before his next promotion to the CEO position. He has been working at SAQA for the past 19 years.
Joe organised and participated in many national and international seminars and conference where he delivered various papers, covering topics like the role of National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF), the generation of qualifications and standards, quality assurance within education and training, the integration of education and training, human rights and the NQF and NQFs in the SADC region, on the African continent and globally.
Recently he served as the chairperson of the UNESCO drafting team of the Addis Convention, a document on the recognition of foreign qualifications that allows for the movement of learners, academics and workers across borders, that was adopted by 54 African States in December 2014. He has served as an expert on the Unesco panel of experts for development of the Global Convention of the Recognition of Qualifications for Higher Education and for Level Descriptors.
Joe serves on the councils of the Council on Higher Education (CHE), the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), the Quality Council for General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi), National Skills Authority (NSA) and the board of SAQA. He serves on various committees and task teams including those for the recognition of prior learning, workers education, and others. He is also the deputy chairperson of the University of the Western Cape Alumni Association in Gauteng.