| Framework for Programme Accreditation |
| November 2004 |
| |
Full Version (230Kb ~ 1 min)
Foreword
The Higher Education Act of 1997 assigns responsibility for quality assurance in higher
education in South Africa to the Council on Higher Education (CHE). This responsibility is
discharged through its permanent sub-committee, the Higher Education Quality Committee
(HEQC). The mandate of the HEQC includes quality promotion, institutional audit and
programme accreditation. As part of the task of building an effective national quality
assurance system, the HEQC has also included capacity development and training as a
critical component of its programme of activities.
In addition to the requirements of the Higher Education Act, the HEQC’s quality assurance
mandate is carried out within the framework of the Regulations for Education and Training
Quality Assurers (ETQAs) of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), which has
overall responsibility for overseeing standard setting and quality assurance in support of the
National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
Programme accreditation is a form of quality assurance which is practised in many countries
and is usually associated with purposes of accountability and improvement in programme
quality. In common with higher education systems in many parts of the world, South African
higher education faces multiple stakeholder demands for greater responsiveness to societal
needs through enhanced student access and mobility, through research and innovation that
address social and economic development, and through engagement with local, regional
and international communities of interest. Stakeholders also require that higher education
institutions are able to provide the public with comprehensive information on the manner
in which they maintain the quality and standards of their core academic activities, and to
demonstrate sustained improvement in this regard.
The HEQC’s approach to programme accreditation is strongly shaped by the complex
challenges facing higher education institutions in an era of radical restructuring within South
African higher education. The programme accreditation system seeks to be responsive to the
objectives of higher education transformation as reflected in various policy and legislative
documents that have been published since 1994. Ensuring that improved and sustainable
quality is part of the transformation objectives of higher education institutions is, therefore,
a fundamental premise of the HEQC’s approach to quality assurance in general and to
programme accreditation in particular.
In line with the vision of the White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher
Education of a single, coordinated higher education system, this document sets out a
common programme accreditation policy framework for universities, universities of
technology, agricultural colleges, private providers and other providers whose programmes
and qualifications fall under the jurisdiction of the HEQC. The specific needs and
circumstances of various sectors within higher education will be taken into account within
the parameters of the common policy framework.
The main focus in the HEQC’s programme accreditation system will be on the evaluation of
new programmes, which will be carried out by the HEQC itself, or through partnerships with
other statutory ETQAs in higher education on the basis of memoranda of understanding
(MoUs). This is intended to ensure that only programmes that meet the necessary quality
requirements are able to enter the higher education system. Existing programmes will be
re-accredited through different arrangements, including HEQC national reviews and
self-accreditation by the institutions themselves, provided the HEQC’s quality requirements
are met.
The objectives, criteria and procedures for programme accreditation have been developed
on the basis of extensive comparative research and pilot tests, and in consultation with key
stakeholders in the higher education community.
1 The implementation of programme
accreditation will be closely monitored and appropriate adjustments made where necessary.
Policy issues in higher education which are still evolving will also be taken into account.
Dr Mala Singh
Executive Director
Higher Education Quality Committee, Council on Higher Education
September 2004
Footnote:
- This document should be read in conjunction with the HEQC’s Criteria for Programme Accreditation, 2004.
