Quality Assurance System in
Higher Education Institutions(HEIs)
Professor Dr Mesbahuddin Ahmed
Head of Quality Assurance Unit UGC, Bangladesh
What is Quality Assurance?
We may define it as
A set of well structured process which will
guide the educational institutions for achieving its goal to fulfill its objectives.
In other words, QA process will determine whether the graduates coming out of
institutions achieved the expected standard in terms of skills, attitudes and values that meet the expectations of the society.
Why Quality Assurance?
• We need to make sure our HEIs are competitive
• The society we live in today is
globalized and economic pursuits have become highly competitive.
Productivity and growth today solely depend upon NEW KNOWLEDGE
generated in universities.
• Higher education transforms the traditional society into knowledge society.
• It is considered to be catalyst for creativity and innovation.
• Hence, improving quality in HEIs is
vitally important
• As the scope of higher education in
Bangladesh expanded remarkably with the increase in the number of
universities both on public and private sector, it has drawn on many deep
rooted problems and intertwined challenges.
• These problems can only be addressed by developing a quality culture and
ensuring good practice in HEIs.
ALSO
• Establishment of quality assurance system in higher education is a global concern
• A well functioning quality assurance system could push higher education in Bangladesh forward to greater heights with peoples’
confidence at national and international level.
• Thus we need to develop QA system
urgently to our benefit as well as to have confidence of global community.
TWO TYPES OF QA
1. Internal Quality Assurance System:
is composed of the institutional
arrangements within the institution to provide assurance of quality
Institutional QA cell (IQAC) will be
responsible to introduce the internal quality assurance system at the
University level
2. External Quality Assurance:
A credible body or agency external to a particular HEI will be given the
responsibility to access the effectiveness of the internal quality assurance system.
Quality Assurance Areas
Developing QA culture is a continuous process and in current setting the
following quality assurance areas are considered to be critical to develop the desired quality assurance system in
Bangladesh.
• Governance
• Curriculum Content, Design & Review
• Student Entry qualifications, Admission procedure, Progress and Achievements
• Physical Facilities
• Teaching – Learning and Assessment
• Student Support Service
• Staff and Facilities: Recruitment and staff development
• Research and Extension
• Continuous Improvement
Institutional Arrangement for
Establishment of QA in Bangladesh
• University Grants Commission of Bangladesh responding positively to the QA issues in HE has set up a Quality Assurance Unit (QAU)
• The QAU would guide and oversee the establishment of Institutional Quality
Assessment Cells (IQAC) in all universities both public and private.
• The QAU will function as a temporary council until formation of the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council, Bangladesh QAACB is constituted.
• The QAU will also be preparing the
national qualification framework and
other quality assurance documents.
Mission and Objectives of QAU
Mission:
• To gain confidence of the stakeholders in the globalized world by ensuring efficient performance of higher education
institutions in Bangladesh
• To ensure transparency, accountability and credibility in accordance with
internationally acceptable quality assurance practices
Objectives :
• To guide the university for establishing a functional IQAC
• To improve the governance and the
management of academic programs by establishing QA mechanism
• To ensure good practice for quality assurance in higher education in
Bangladesh
Features of IQAC to be introduced
• IQAC will manage the internal QA system in individual universities
• IQAC will be established following a IQAC manual
• The QA system will be completely participatory and consultative
• The QA documents will be upgraded in consultation with the higher education community and
stakeholders
• The system introduced will be reviewed and made responsive to emerging needs
MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF IQAC
The major functions of the IQAC are :
• To facilitate to define the mission and objectives of the university;
• Develop standard and benchmark for academic programs;
• Review existing procedure for further improvement
• Provide necessary support to conduct self- assessment, external peer-review;
• Develop a data base for information regarding quality assurance
• Develop an institutional QA strategic plan and ensure its implementation and monitor its
achievements.
• Co-ordinate all QA related activities within the University
• Liaise with QAU and other external QA agencies
• Organize workshops, seminars and
appropriate training for promoting QA culture
• Take initiative to establish staff development centre.
Institutional Quality Assurance Cell Fund (IQACF)
In order to support the
establishment of QA mechanism, the
HEQEP would provide funds under a
new window named IQACF available
to public and private universities that
fulfill the eligibility criteria.
Eligibility for Accessing IQACF Fund
Groups No. of full time
teacher
No of
Universities Public Private
A > 200 21 11 10
B 100 - 200 27 6 21
C < 100 28 11 17
Total 76 28 48
Universities that have more than 1000 students
will be eligible for IQACF fund. The universities are clustered into three groups, A, B, C as shown in
the table below
IQACF mode of Funding
Years IQACF Funding University Funding
% Funding Amount to
Groups % Funding to Groups
A B C A B C
1st Year 75 60.0 37.5 30.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2nd
Year 15 12.0 7.5 6.0 40 32.0 20.0 16.0
3rd
Year 10 8.0 5.0 4.0 60 48.0 30.0 24.0
Total 100 80.0 50.0 40.0 100 80.0 50.0 40.0
The total cost of IQAC will be shared between the project and universities:
Block Allocation to
Department/ Facilities /Institutions
There will be a separate block allocation to each department, faculty and institute for setting up of a QA cell, to an amount of Tk 9 58 800/- for each of the entity.
• Proposal Submission Procedure
• Proposal Call
• Proposal Format
• Screening
Proposal Review
For Further Details
Quality Assurance Unit, QAU
29/1 Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
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