Re-accreditation of MBAs

2003

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The Higher Education Act (No. 101 of 1997) sets out quite clearly the roles and responsibilities of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and its permanent sub-committee, the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), with regard to policy and quality assurance related matters in the higher education sector. Simply stated, in terms of their respective mandates, the CHE advises the Minister of Education on matters relating to higher education (HE) and the HEQC manages the quality assurance activities of all public and private providers operating in the HE band.

In terms of its mission and vision, the HEQC supports the development, maintenance and enhancement of the quality of public and private higher education provision in order to enable a range of stakeholders to benefit from effective higher education and training. The HEQC performs its quality assurance duties also in terms of the South African Qualifications Authority Act (SAQA), 1995, (Act No 58 of 1995)1 and the SAQA Regulations of 19982. As an Education and Training Quality Assurance body (ETQA) for higher education, the HEQC is responsible for the accreditation of public and private institutions and their learning programmes.

In addition to the key functions identified in the HE Act (Act No 101 of 1997), the National Plan for Higher Education has also assigned the following specific quality assurance task to the HEQC:
“The Ministry will request the Higher Education Quality Committee to prioritise the review of the quality of postgraduate programmes.” (NPHE, 2001: section 4.7.1)

The Minister of Education has also indicated his concern with regards to the proliferation of MBAs in the system. In the light of the above, it was decided that the HEQC would undertake a formal review of all MBAs being offered by public and registered private HE institutions in South Africa.

The main objectives of this task are as follows:

1. To undertake a comprehensive review of the state of MBAs on offer in South Africa.
2. To re-accredit all MBAs in both public and private institutions.

The underlying purpose of the re-accreditation process is to determine whether the quality of MBAs in the system meets the minimum standards of the HEQC in relation to postgraduate provision. Re-accreditation entails the examination by the HEQC of the institution’s ability to maintain and improve existing programme quality above minimum standards.