Olugbemiro JegedeSecretary to the Govt of Kogi State

Quality

Assurance in

Nigeria Higher

Education

Olugbemiro Jegede

Ahmadu Bello University

University of Southern Queensland

University of Abuja

Curtin University of Technology, Australia

Open University of Hong Kong

Collateral Learning

and the Eco-

Cultural Paradigm

in Science and

Mathematics

Education in Africa

3

FocusIntroduction

Main Issues of Concern in Education

21st Century Africa and her Needs

Status of Education

Need for Quality Assurance

What, Why and How of Quality Assurance

The Future

Challenges and Prospects

Conclusion

4

Pleased to be Here Thanks for the invitation to give This

University Lecture on Quality

Significant as it demonstrates the University’s commitment to quality

Although have been associated with Salem University, this is my first time on Campus.

I can confirm all the good things and exceptional strides already made as a university

5

Apology Conversation is to create an

awareness, sensitise and help navigate

the issue of Quality Assurance in

Higher Education.

Apologies that I may neither capture all

that QA represents in our education

nor have all the answers to the

emerging issues in QA in Higher

Education in Nigeria

a 21st Century Imperative

Major Issues

Global movement to educate every citizen

Focus on removing disparities in educational access

Vigorous search for alternative delivery modes

Education directed to the full development of the human personality

8

Education & Development

All countries have demonstrated an irrevocable and unwavering commitment to education as tool for national and personal development.

They also regard the pursuit of education as an inalienable right of every citizen.

9

Development Needs

sustainable development

highly educated, mobile and adaptable workforce

multi-skilled and multi-tasked

a knowledge and a learning society

use of ecological and geographical conditions to a nation’s advantage

10

RequirementsIndividual and institutional levels:

skills and ability to be creative with knowledge

technical know-how and transfer of technology

policy analysis

development management

assessment of alternative courses of action

technology will increasingly dominate domestic, economic and social life

financial and economic world will change into a plastic world

increase in demand for constant communication and use of telecommunication

society will become less personal, concentrate more on nuclear family

unrivalled demand for education

C21st NigeriaC21st Africa

Regional Status Report

•One adult in three cannot read

or write.

•world’s deepest inequalities

based on factors such as gender,

language

Primary Sector•32 million out of school

•1.2 million teachers needed

Secondary Sector

•34 per cent in school

•750,000 teachers needed by 2015

•About 5% on the average in H.E.

•No African country has achieved the

UNESCO-defined level of 25% participation

in Higher Education.

•On average, African universities have a

shortfall of 60% of researchers and teachers

Tertiary Sector

•8.5million in H.E

•456,000 teachers needed by 2015

•Three out of 10 in secondary school.

•VTE neglected

Challenges to HE in Africa

Expanding access

Improving quality

Ensuring equity

Enormous and urgent need to continuously train and refresh knowledge and skills

Dwindling funding support

Obsolete curricula

Dilapidated infrastructure

Impact of Challenges

impact is particularly pronounced in Africa with ONE Billion people:

with the world’s highest illiteracy rates,

lowest participation rates

huge capacity development needs

10million seeking employment annually

60% of the unemployed are youth, and

a massive demand for tertiary education.

Role of Higher EducationKey to diversify growing economies

Knowledge and skills are critical to growth and development in the 21st C

Building human resource base

Producing employable graduates and professionals

Seeking greater participation from private sector

Usage as driver of the EFA and MDG goals

Combat diseases, reduce energy costs and address climate change

Higher Education in Africa

The establishment of more institutions of HE is an answer to the yearning needs of Africans to take education to their doorsteps.

Number of conventional universities in the continent has tripled within the past few years

Still can’t cope with the demand for access while unable to deliver flexible, affordable space and time-independent education.

Growing foment in higher education in Africa to meet the challenges of access and the attendant issues of quality, equity, social justice and cost.

National Policy on Education

“education is the most important instrument of change in any society”. And that “any fundamental change in the intellectual and social outlook of any society has to be preceded by an educational revolution”

Government adopted,

“policies which were to be directed towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels”.

“make life-long education the basis for the nation’s education policy”

“after primary education, an individual will be able to choose the preferred mode of learning”

“the education system structured to develop the practice of self-learning”.

National Policy on Education

The Bottom Lineeffective national development

depends on education

the bedrock of education is the acquisition of quality knowledge

leads to a Knowledge Society and a Learning Society

common realisation and a shared vision

understanding principles

Wise Society

Data Understanding

Context

independence

information

knowledge

understanding relations

understanding patterns

wisdom

[Adapted from Bellinger 1999]

0 Spatial

Temporal

Flexibility in time, space, contentNon formal

Formal

Informal

Adult

Self-directed learning

Sharing with others

Varied learning styles

Learning Society

Diversity of Learning Spaces

Before 1960

Population of about 60 million

Colonial government

Protectorates

Regions

Provinces

Districts

•7-5-2-3 system

One University College – Ibadan

Less than 700 students in higher education

Few went abroad

Correspondence

< 1,000 secondary schools

< 5,000 primary schools

Education

Age in

years

No. of

years

Universities

3

18-22

Craft Schools

Teachers Training Colleges

Grammar

Middle School

Comprehensive

15-18

5 Technical colleges Secondary schools

12-15

Primary Schools

6-11/12

7

Nigeria's 7-5-2-3 System of Education

HIGHER EDUCATION

HSC/A-Levels

22-30

After 1960British colony till

1960

Member of the E-9 Group

Member of The Commonwealth

Landmass of 923,768 sq. km.

Most populous African nation

DemographyPopulation is

about 160 million

Republic with 36 states, 774 Local Govts

6 geopolitical zones

Socio-economicPetroleum takes 95%

of foreign exchange earning

GDP = $188.5b

Per capita = $1,188

Literacy = 65.8%

60% in rural areas

Life Expectancy =52

•6-3-3-4 system

•National Policy on

Education

•128 universities: 50P, 40

FGN, 38 State

•88 Colleges of Education

•120 Polytechnics

•19,216 secondary

schools

•60,188 primary schools

Education

Age in

years

No. of

years

Colleges of

Education

Universities

Polytechnics 4

18-22

15-18 3 Technical colleges Senior secondary

schools

Junior secondary schools

12-15

Primary schools

Day care centres and pre-primary schools

6-11/12

0-6

3

6

Nigeria's 6-3-3-4 System of Education

HIGHER EDUCATION

BASIC

EDUCAT

-ION

For the Love of OilOgochukwu Ikeje asked (after a visit to Mr President by

Rivers State Kalabari chiefs quarrel with their Bayelsa counterparts)

Who will teach us to love something else?

“As the chiefs and state chief executives bicker over Soku oil fields which pump out 300,000bpd, the rest of us should ask ourselves what oil has done for us and the country. It has not helped our jobs profile and our economy remains weak, susceptible to the fluctuations of oil prices. Oil has not taken our people off poverty. Our infrastructure remains unflattering. Beyond our potentials and pockets of integrity, we have pretty little to offer the world, in spite of our oil… we need to cultivate healthier and more fruitful tastes” The Nation on Sunday, November 4, 2012, page 14.429

Call for Quality

Restoring the role of HE in Africa

Higher Education declined between 1980s and 2005

Illegal regimes, (military) Bad governance, civil wars, World Bank report of 1988 and the Structural Adjustment Programme

Africa and the world became concerned about the quality of education on the continent

Second Decade of Education for Africa -Plan of Action (2006-2015).

Importance placed on higher education

quality higher education seen as the most important tool in developing the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude towards socio-economic development.

hence the launch of the Second Decade of Education for Africa EX/CL/224 (VIII) by the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

tertiary level education as one of the seven priorities to be focused on for the ten-year period spanning 2006-2015.

The Addis-Ababa Declaration 2007, Assembly/AU/Decl.5(VIII) by the Conference of Heads of State and Government called for ‘’the revitalization of African Universities’’ in the Consolidated Plan of Action for Science and Technology in Africa.

Access for Unmet Demand

Demand for higher education expanded significantly on the continent.

Many institutions responded by admitting greater numbers of students each year.

800 Universities and 1500 HEIs in Africa

The students’ population tripled from 2.7 million in 1991 to 9.3 million in 2006.

A projection of the recent trends suggests that the entire continent will have between about 20 million students by 2015 (World Bank, 2010).

UNESCO 2008World Conference on

Higher Education held in 2008

four key areas of intervention to improve access and quality of Higher Education in Africa.

relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of higher education

research and innovation

creation of African higher education area

quality assurance

Concerns About Quality

African government functionaries and policy makers have expressed concern about:

the need to improve quality of tertiary institutions.

the need to reassure the public about the quality of private providers, and

the importance of ensuring that tertiary education offered in both public and private tertiary institutions meets acceptable local and international standards.

Continental Endorsement

Faced with - Education For All, - the Millennium Development Goals and- actualising AU vision

Education Ministers began to pay serious attention to Quality AssuranceMINEDAF VIII in Dar es Salam, 2002 All Africa Ministers’ conference in Cape Town, 2004 fingered two major challenges of:- Managing access, quality and cost-Ensuring quality in education.

AAU and QA The Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors

and Presidents of African Universities (COREVIP) held its 51st session/ 9th General Conference of the AAU held at the University of Zambia, January 13-17, 1997 with the theme “Promoting Quality Enhancement and Quality Assessment: The Role of Regional Cooperation”.

relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of higher education

research and innovation

creation of African higher education area

quality assurance

Arusha Convention1

The Arusha Convention, developed under the auspices of UNESCO in 1980

Sets the framework for the recognition of degrees and certificates among African universities

The Convention thus seeks to foster cooperation in information exchange, harmonisation of procedures and policies, and attainment of comparability of qualifications to facilitate mobility across African countries for employment and further study.

Arusha Convention2

Africa’s Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certification, Diplomas, Degrees and other Academic Qualification in Higher Education in Africa

Introduced on 5th December 1981 in Arusha Tanzania.

One of the AIMS of the Arusha Convention as stated in Article 2: Section 1.2

Defining and putting in place effective quality assurance and accreditation mechanisms at the national, regional and continental levels.

Was initially ratified by less than 20 African countries and abandoned.

Now revised and signed by almost all the countries

2nd Decade of Education

African Union, 2006: The Second Decade of Education for Africa (2006-2015)

the African Union (AU) Plan to ‘revitalise higher education’ has seven priority areas. A major one is the

the harmonisation of higher education and the establishment of quality rating mechanisms across the continent as priority activities.

places prime priority on the promotion, development and assurance of quality in African Higher Education in all its dimensions.

AAU the implementing agency for the AU

Goals of Higher Education

Learning outcomes:

knowledge, skills, abilities

Measured through:

assignments and exams

demonstration of ability

portfolios/samples of work

ability to apply knowledge

employment etc

COST

The

NIGAVEKAR

pentagon

Stakeholders

The Iron Pentagon of QA

Assuring Quality

A continuous, proactive and integrative process for maintaining and improving quality.

3 approaches of QA

External approaches

Internal approaches

Outcome Assessment

What is a culture of quality?

institutional culture, systematic not ad-hoc

learner-centric, development-oriented

internal rather than external

voluntary rather than imposed

quality integrated into all activities

shared by all members of an institution

encouraged by progressive legislation, adequate funding and monitoring

What is Quality?5 approaches to viewing quality

in terms of the exceptional (high standards)

in terms of consistency (zero defects and getting it right the first time)

as fitness for purpose (meeting stated purposes)

as value for money

as transformative (transformation of the participant) Green and Harvey (1993)

QA is the process of verifying or determining whether products or services meet or exceed customer expectations in a systematic, reliable fashion.

QA is a process-driven approach with specific steps to help define and attain goals.

This process considers design, development, implementation, and service

Two key principles characterise QA: "fit for purpose" (the product should be suitable for the intended purpose) and "right first time" (mistakes should be eliminated).

What is Quality Assurance?What is Quality Assurance

Advantages of QA

greater awareness of quality all round

more attention to planning and

management

better learner support services

excellent instructional delivery

efficient course material development

Improvement in degree completion rates

retention rates increase

Modern Reasons for QA quality assurance goes beyond controlling for

quality. It aims for improvement.

Makes current practices more efficient and

effective

lead to further knowledge and bring us closer to

a perfect operation and output.

that users and stakeholders have confidence in a

product.

quality assurance does not stop with the

products we use. It extends to services. President of Canadian

Association of Chiefs of Police Oct 2007

to provide confidence to the client that accurate and reproducible results are achievable by using methods, techniques, and procedures to collect, analyse, and report data.

to accomplish this objective, a University must implement quality assurance procedures that address qualification and training of personnel,

efficient handling of clients,

situation analysis, along with all necessary support activities to minimise risk

Objectives of QAObjectives of QA

The major characteristics of QA which allow for fitness of purpose and getting it right first time are:

Reliability

Maintainability

Safety/risk management

Strength and effectiveness of services

Characteristics of QACharacteristics of Quality Assurance

The four quality assurance steps :

Plan: Establish objectives and processes required to deliver the desired results.

Do: Implement the process developed.

Check: Monitor and evaluate the implemented process by testing the results against the predetermined objectives

Act: Apply actions necessary for improvement if the results require changes.

It is called the PDCA Model

4 Steps of Quality Assurance4 Steps of Quality Assurance

Began with craftsmen when the principle of quality was simple: "let the buyer beware" (caveat emptor).

Wartime mass production during World War II, led to introduction of full time inspectors to identify, quarantine and correct product quality failures.

The systematic approach to quality started in industrial manufacture during the 1930s in the USA, paying attention cost of scrap and rework.

Post World War II led to re-building of Japan and the development of modern quality concepts encouraged collaboration between Japanese business and technical groups, in the redevelopment of the Japanese economy.

History of Quality AssuranceHistory of Quality Assurance

Quality control emphasises testing to uncover defects, and reporting to management for decision making

Quality assurance attempts to improve and stabilise service, and associated processes, to avoid issues that led to the defects in the first place.

QA does not necessarily eliminate the need for QC

QC activities are treated as an integral part of the overall QA processes

Quality Assurance Vs. Quality

ControlQuality Assurance Vs. Quality Control

Awareness of Qualitywidespread awareness of quality

issues throughout the University increases the probability that service quality will be taken into account at every stage of the teaching/learning process.

At every level, every training and every briefing opportunity, emphasis must be put on quality of service provided the client and the public

QA, Mission Vs. Values

QA must reflect and mirror the University’s mission and vision

QA should build into its focus the Values to be entrenched in an institution

QA should be a thread all through the institution’s strategic plan

QA must have integrity, be service oriented and permeate everywhere

The aims of the Quality Assurance Checks are to enable Management to:

assess if staff are engaging with the public providing a citizen-focused service,

identify and react to customer requirements, recover service where required,

provide a reassurance function for members of the public and

provide staff with direct customer feedback and guidance to enhance future customer interactions.

Quality Assurance Checks

The development of a quality assurance system

Learner support system

Provision of networking and computing services for instruction and management

Warehousing of materials

Tutorials, handling of assignments and examinations

Counselling and call centre services

Nation-wide extensive communication

Baseline Provisions for QA

Risk Management Strategies

Risk management is a process that is used to identify potential risks and liabilities that could result in some kind of loss for Universities.

5 basic steps in the risk management process:

Identify risks, frequency of exposure to risks, and the severity of losses resulting from exposure to risks

Explore methods to handle exposure to identified risks

Choose appropriate treatment or response to manage exposure to risks

Implement risk treatment

Continuously evaluate risk treatment applied to organisational risks

Service delivery

Tangible delivery

Implementation strategy

Expectations from clients

Output control measures

Stakeholder participation

Additional commitments

Benchmark for QABenchmarks for Quality Assurance

Service Charter Format

Type of Service

Customer Delivery Target

Redress Available

Official to handle complaints

Enquiries

Telephone

E-mail

Students/public

Students/public

Within 1 day

7 working days

Petition to Chief Public Affairs Officer

Call Centre Supervisor

Admission processes

Intending students/public

Within 8 weeks of conclusion of sale of form

Petition to Academic Registrar

Academic Registrar

Delivery of instructional materials

Students

Study centres

Within 1 week of conclusion of registration

Petition to Academic/ Registrar

SCM

Deans/Directors of relevant academic units

Counselling Students/staff Within 2 days of complaint/request

Petition to DLSS, VC

Director Learner Support Services

61

Quality Assurance

QA

International National Institutional

Sources of Assessment

62

Quality Assurance

International

Organisations

UNESCO

COL

AAU

EAU

Associations

ICDE

ACDE

AAOU

Others

Private Agencies

Groups of Consultants

International

63

Quality Assurance

National

NQAgency

/NRegulatoryAgency

Professional

Organisations

Nursing Council Architecture Accounting

Other Bodies

National

64

Quality Assurance

Institutional

Academic

Programme

Development

BenchmarkProcesses &

procedures

Teaching &

Learning

Examinations

Paper, online and

continuous

assessment

Peer assessment

of Teaching

Course materials

Development

Various Media

and IT facilitiesOPP, DPP specs

Training &

Professional DevResearch Student Affairs

•Blueprint

•Strategic Plan

•ICT Plan

•Service Charter

Institutional

Conclusion

African Land Mass and the World

A world map showing the percent of national populations living on less than $1.25 (PPP) per day.

67

Emerging Global HE Landscape

Knowledge economy is the in-thing

Knowledge capability and capacity, knowledge resources, not natural resources greatest determinant of a country’s entry into and effective participation in global competitiveness

With lessons from emerging economies (Brazil, India and China), higher education must focus on local relevance, sustainable total development and social justice

Needed in HEIs make continuous learning mandatory

institute quality assurance and risk management in all HEI

improve training and scholarship to support the function

provide appropriate infrastructure and funding to support QA

provide technological support to streamline these processes

QA Challenges in Africa

absence or lack of interest in establishing national quality assurance systems

Strengthening/ transforming existing sub-regional quality assurance bodies as models for effective practices

developing capacity and raising expertise on and for the continent;

Coordinate and network quality assurance systems to harmonise and streamline quality assurance practices in Africa. 70

71

Effective Change Takes Time!

We must change with the time.

QA should bridge the gap.

“If I have ever made any valuable

discoveries, it has been owing more to

patient attention than to any other talent”. Isaac Newton, English Physicist and Astronomer (1643-1727).

Adopt QA and wait patiently for lasting

results.

The Knowledge-based Economy

There are increasing signs that our

current paradigms for higher education,

the nature of our academic programs, the

organization of our colleges and

universities, and the way that we finance,

conduct and distribute the services of

higher education may not be able to adapt

to the demands of our time. J J Duderstadt (2001)