Managing Quality Assurance in Higher Education: The Case of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana

Abstract

The paper discusses quality assurance in the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Ghana. The University is a public funded institution established by an act of parliament; Act 830, 2011. As a newly established public funded University, quality assurance plays a central role in satisfying the requirements of stakeholders on the supply and demand sides of higher education, most importantly the regulatory environment-National Accreditation Board and the National Council for Tertiary Education. The paper discusses how the University manages quality assurance in its operations to bring about continuous improvement in teaching and learning. The paper discusses quality assurance as managed in the University- the successes, challenges and the way forward. The paper discusses some challenges that need critical intervention in the management of quality assurance in the University. These include the scenario where some staff have little understanding of quality assurance issues. Some staff also perceive quality assurance as a tool for victimising staff who fall short of quality standards. The issues discussed are very insightful partly because they come from experiences gathered in the design and implementation of quality assurance structures in a newly established university setting. The experiences shared in this paper would be very helpful to other newly established universities in the management of quality assurance. The paper recommends that the Management of the University needs to sensitise staff on quality assurance as a mandatory accreditation requirement and a tool for continuously enhancing quality standards. Keywords: Quality Assurance, Higher education, accreditation, teaching and learning, Ghana