Autonomy and Interdependence of Higher Education Quality Assurance Mechanisms in Africa.

Abstract

This is a conceptual critical review paper. It analyses the match and mismatch between the autonomy and interdependence of internal and external quality assurance mechanisms in higher education institutions in Africa as they strive to deliver quality graduates. The mark of quality of graduates is their employability and relevance in the job market. However, the current generation of graduates of higher education institutions in Africa is often blamed for negative issues regarding accountability, control, compliance, and improvement. Considering accountability, the graduates are noted to offer less value for money, fitness for purpose, and quality service delivery and transparency in the world of work. Their legitimacy, integrity, and standards when compared across the board is often questioned. The paper unravels the fact that these quality concerns are a result of the challenges of autonomy and interdependence between internal and external quality assurance mechanisms operating in the institutions. It asserts that the negative traits indicate that the curriculum, pedagogy, resources, appraisal, and feedback systems of courses taught to these graduates while still studying at the higher education institutions had gaps due to ineffective quality assurance. The paper argues that both internal and external mechanisms of quality assurance should be fostered in the higher education institutions in order to strike a balance between improvement and accountability. Strategies for enhancing the autonomy and interdependence of the two mechanisms are proposed with a view to promoting quality culture in the higher education institutions. Keywords: external quality assurance, higher education institution, internal quality assurance, quality assurance mechanism.