|
Quality in higher education must be assured – Sawyerr
Accra, March 25, Ghanadot/GNA - Professor
Akilagpa Sawyerr, Secretary-General, Association of African
Universities (AAU), on Tuesday emphasised the need for
stakeholders to work seriously to ensure that quality
assurance in higher education was not compromised.
"With the establishment of more universities in Africa it is
imperative to work seriously on the problem of quality
assurance so that as the universities or higher learning
progressed quality assurance would not be compromised."
Professor Sawyerr made these remarks at the opening of a
three-day validating meeting that seeks to discuss and adopt
a strategy for the execution of the African Rating
Mechanisms for Higher Education and develop strategies for
moving the African Union Higher Education strategy forward.
The meeting organised by AAU in collaboration with African
Union Commission also seeks to promote quality development
and assurance in Africa's higher education in all dimensions
including the development of regional and continental
qualification framework such as the Arusha Convention.
About 45 participants, including stakeholders working on
high education institutions in Africa and around the world
are attending the meeting.
Prof. Sawyerr said the African Union regarded education as a
key instrument in achieving its visions of developing
quality human resources as well as contributing towards
increased mobility of Africans around the globe.
Prof. Sawyerr noted that a decade of education had failed
but added the AAU wanted the second decade as a success
story by harmonising all universities in Africa.
"AAU is the designated lead implementation agency for high
education in the second decade of education in Africa."
Mr Niel Butcher, African Union Commission Consultant, in a
presentation dubbed: “African Union Higher Education
Harmonisation Strategy,” said harmonisation of high
education should not be seen as a bureaucratic exercise and
called for more political will.
"We want the higher learning educational institutions to
produce graduates with competitiveness required to drive the
continent of Africa."
Mr Butcher said one of the goals of the strategy was also to
coordinate efforts of national accreditation and regional
bodies to discuss universities’ successes and resolve their
challenges.
The consultant touching on the outcome of the strategy
called for cooperation in information exchange stressing,
"We need to create a central database on the activities of
our high education programmes."
GNA
|
