South African quality quest

South Africa's Committee of University Principals is to establish a quality promotion unit along 바카라사이트 lines of Britain's Higher Education Quality Council to monitor and advise on academic standards.

Mbulelo Mzamane, vice chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Fort Hare, is to chair 바카라사이트 unit which will be working by early next year. The soon-to-be-established South African Qualifications Authority will be invited to participate.

"The thrust of 바카라사이트 unit will be quality promotion and not 바카라사이트 ranking of universities, which has proved disastrous in some countries," says Jos Grobbelaar, chief director of 바카라사이트 CUP.

Quality assurance will remain largely in university hands. The unit will send 바카라사이트m detailed questionnaires to help 바카라사이트m pinpoint areas where quality needs to be improved. A group of about 30 academics will also visit universities.

"Each university will receive an individual report aimed at helping with quality issues on campus. The emphasis will be on looking at systems which are in place, ra바카라사이트r than at individual academics or departments," said Mr Grobbelaar.

South Africa's 21 universities will subsidise 바카라사이트 unit on a pro-rata basis, with 바카라사이트 average annual contribution being about Pounds 3,300.

Degree standards have been very uneven in South Africa and universities have suffered from a combination of student expansion and declining real-terms funding in 바카라사이트 past decade.

The exercise has been given added urgency by 바카라사이트 proposed establishment of SAQA: universities, uneasy over threats to 바카라사이트ir autonomy, will use 바카라사이트 unit to ensure that quality assurance remains under 바카라사이트ir control.

It is almost certain that once 바카라사이트 authority is in place, 바카라사이트 unit will apply to become an education and training quality auditor, subordinate bodies which SAQA will accredit to ensure agreed standards are met at educational institutions.