Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
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Improving the quality of tertiary education

Thursday, May 18, 2006

by: by Oliver Mills

A recent report in the Observer Newspaper in Jamaica mentioned the Minister of Education in that country as urging tertiary level institutions to improve the quality of education they offer, since tertiary education plays an important role in the development of society, and the quality of society is determined by the quality of tertiary education it offers.

This is a very important statement by the Minister, and Caribbean educators should take heed in thought, word and deed, since it is the tertiary sector that prepares leaders and other professional and technical personnel for their various roles in society.

Saying something is one thing, however, but implementing it effectively is another.

The Principal of the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies in a speech, recently said that educating undergraduates is important to the national and the regional society of the Caribbean, and further described this task as the principal activity of the university.

He further noted that a sound higher education system is a prerequisite for creating an economically successful, socially advanced, culturally literate, and internationally conscious society, where meaningful democracy and transparency can survive.

Because of this mission of tertiary education in the Caribbean, it is therefore highly important that the quality of tertiary education be of the highest. Research has shown that better educated people benefit more economically, have a higher social mobility rate than those who are not, develop a sense of consciousness of who they are and where they need to go, and realize the importance of democratic values and openness to a healthy society. They are also more productive than the less educated.

Professor Errol Miller of the UWI, with respect to quality assurance in higher education, stated that notions of quality vary from conforming to previously determined specifications, to fitness for purpose, which relates quality to the purpose of the service being provided.

He also notes that it includes policies, processes and actions through which the quality of education provided is developed and maintained. He further includes peer review, internal and external examinations, the academic boards of institutions which approve the curriculum of all programmes and courses, and the promotions committee as aspects of quality assurance. The use of external examiners is another strategy which aims at ensuring quality.

These are some of the essential ingredients of quality assurance in tertiary education. Conforming to specifications however, implies that everyone is clear what these are, and that there is agreement about the strategies to implement them.

It also suggests that the implementers have the necessary competencies to make the strategies work.

Quality policies also need clear guidelines, and mechanism for checking their effectiveness. Also, there must be a certain quality of thinking that goes into formulating the policies so that they fit the purpose for which they were formulated.

The institution must also have standards and measurements for success, so that it will know when its objectives have been achieved.

Peer review and internal and external examinations are mechanisms that could ensure quality, but their mere existence does not guarantee it.

Reviewers must be competent in the areas to be reviewed, and to really ensure quality, the internal and external examinations must have a purpose and point, and not really be seen as something that is routinely required by the system. They must serve the purpose of validating credentials, and really enhancing skills, knowledge, and the perceptions of the student clientele.

Academic boards as quality assurance agents, can be political, seek to perpetuate an elitist view, and also serve as a conservative force maintaining the status quo, and either water down, or stall progress designed to promote the interest of the institution.

There are other important quality measures that could also be considered that could improve the quality of tertiary education in the Caribbean.

These include, insisting on highly qualified staff in designated areas, making research and publication compulsory, and stipulating the time periods involve to advance and check the progress being made. The tertiary institution must also be a learning organization where the advancement of learning, its relevance to the individual and society, and its continuousness become the ethic of the institution.

The provision of a quality environment for students and staff, where appropriate facilities are available, relevant technology, as well as the latest books and journals, and furthermore, the requirement that lecturers continuously update their lectures, as well as the nature of their assignments, are also essential to an effective quality assurance programme.

Tertiary level managers must also be conversant with the latest research in management and leadership sciences, be open minded, receptive, as well as critical and reflective practitioners. They must also have managed in another area in the public or private sector, so that they bring a wide breath of knowledge, wisdom and understanding to the tertiary institution, that has been appraised, and on which students could draw for their benefit. This further reflects what quality is all about.

When these ingredients are all in play, quality education at the tertiary level will most certainly improve.

This will be reflected in the quality of research, the professionalism and know how of the student, and the way in which the transfer of knowledge from these institutions benefit the society as a whole, by contributing to its growth, development, and sustainability.

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