63 shown to enhance the individuals learners motivation and self-esteem as they re-enter education or
training frameworks.
7.3 Principles underlying RPL
Internationally RPL was introduced due to various reasons, among others education reforms, economic concerns andor manpower enhancements. Consequently, the approaches of RPL arrangements may
vary from country to country, so, in the case of Indonesia the social and economic environments will influence the operation and objectives of an RPL system. The underlying principles however are
common to those underpinning the IQF as a whole: transparency, accountability, fairness, objectivity, reliability, effectiveness or fit for purpose, efficiency and affordability 6.4.2.3 above.
In practical application of the next stage of development of RPL in Indonesia a number of criteria are required to be included in the strategy, such as
• ability to comprehend the complete regulation requirements related to RPL’s entry or assessment procedures to plan prospectus career and qualification development program in the
future; • proficiency to clearly and appropriately document relevant evidence of the acquired prior
learning or competency in the form of prerequisites information; and • capacity to demonstrate the prior learning that is in-depth and goes beyond the average
knowledge and skills needed to accomplish an assessment task from which qualification level and volume of the attained learning can be fittingly valued.
There is no restriction on type and pathways by which the experience is gained or achieved as long as the acquired knowledge and skill can validate against the relevant qualifications framework. The main
principle of RPL focuses on the outcomes rather than how, when or where the learning occurred. RPL is therefore concerned with giving value to knowledge and skills individuals have gained, whether acquired
through formal, non-formal or informal education; career achievements in work place; professional or competency based training; individual life experience or talent endeavors. Since the recognition process
is based on a qualifications framework, RPL will therefore inspire formal education to make essential adjustments such as wider and more flexible entry access and to design exemption procedures for
modules or courses.
RPL should follow the formal education processes, including legal certification and awarding, education or training development programs, assessment procedures and quality assurance.
Although ‘formal’, ‘non-formal’ and ‘informal’ are used as discrete terms, in practice these learning processes are often interrelated and they have particular meanings in the Indonesian education system.
That is, in some instances non-formal learning may lead to qualifications; particularly in those countries moving towards the certification of all learning. Efforts to make non-formal and informal learning more
visible may also lead to a form of recognition comparable to that in the formal system.
Recognition or validation is usually defined as the process of granting official status to learning outcomes andor competences, which can lead to the acknowledgement of their value in society. The
OECD maintains the term ‘recognition’ of informal and non-formal learning to refer to the process of gathering and assessing evidence to establish whether learners have demonstrated the learning
outcomes specified for the standards and qualifications such as those registered in the national qualifications framework. Validation should be seen as an integral part of the national qualifications
system [because] treating validation as something isolated from the rest of the certification system could threaten its overall credibility [Cedefop 2009:8.
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7.4 Stakeholders
