Title: | Implementation Barriers to Internal Quality Assurance in Private Higher Education in Ghana |
Authors: | John Kwame, Boateng (PhD) |
Keywords: | Internal Quality Assurance, Accreditation, Implementation |
Issue Date: | Aug-2012 |
Publisher: | ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY |
Abstract: | The National Accreditation Board (NAB) in Ghana is the agency responsible
for monitoring the external accreditation requirements nationwide. Internal
quality management of individual universities and university colleges in the
country are expected to complement the external accreditation monitoring by
NAB. The NAB has traditionally evaluated Universities/University Colleges
in relation to a set of standards. With internal quality assurance, the
responsibility rests with the institutions’ to manage effectively their own
quality. This means that, NAB expects mature institutions that can
successfully identify their own strengths and areas for needed improvement,
and then develop a strategy to bring necessary changes that are evidenced
by outcomes. This study explored how the national quality assurance
schemes are understood and implemented and barriers to implementation in
four private University Colleges in Ghana. Academic, administrative staff
and students from the private institutions completed a set of questionnaires
that tapped their perceptions on issues causing implementation barriers to
internal quality assurance. Quality management decisions emerged as a
major barrier to the implementation of internal quality assurance, especially
the failure to link identification of quality objectives to the institutional
strategic plan. Student involvement was barrier that adversely affected the
implementation of internal quality assurance. Another barrier was the lack
of effective coordination resulting in dichotomy in Strategic planning and
quality management in looking at different aspects of the present and future
of higher education. Dominance of culture not open to change and
improvement was an important barrier to the implementation of internal
quality assurance in private higher education where there are strong
traditions in place and departments and units are quite independent.
Transparency, openness, responsiveness and creativity should form the bases
of the ideal culture for quality improvement in private higher education
institutions. |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/2215 |
Appears in Collections: | Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Private Higher Education in Africa
|
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