QUALITY ASSURANCE IN TERTIARY EDUCATION IN MAURITIUS

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QUALITY ASSURANCE IN TERTIARY EDUCATION IN
MAURITIUS

• by
• Goolam Mohamedbhai
• Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Mauritius

2
Fact Sheet On Mauritius

• Small island in the Indian Ocean
• Govt. Parliamentary democracy
• Independent from UK since March 1968
• Area 2000 km2
• GNP/capita US 4 600
• Literacy rate 86
• National strategy for transforming Mauritius into
  a Knowledge Hub Centre for Higher Learning
  
• Foreign promoters encouraged to set up branch
  campus in Mauritius
  

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Overview of Tertiary Education Sector

• Institutions broadly classified as public and
  private sector, and regional
  
• Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs) also
  referred to as post-secondary institutions
  offering postgraduate, undergrad, diploma
  certificate courses

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Public Sector Institutions

• 2 Universities Univ of Mauritius, Univ of Tech
  Mauritius
  
• Mauritius Institute of Education, Mahatma Gandhi
  Institute, Mauritius College of the Air (distance
  learning college)
  
• 2 Polytechnics Swami Dayanand Institute of
  Management, Institut Superieur de Technologie
  
• Mauritius Institute of Health (under Ministry of
  Health)
  
• Industrial Vocational Training Board
• Total enrolment 11,700, 55 at Univ of
  Mauritius, the oldest largest institution,
  operational 1968

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Private Sector Institutions

• 35 local, privately established institutions
• 50 overseas institutions delivering education
  through local bodies
  
• Characteristics of private institutions
• part-time programmes market-driven, soft
  subjects small cohorts offer foreign courses
  under franchise agreement agents for DE
  institutions overseas
• Enrolment approx. 7 500, 39 of total enrolment
  in Mauritius, and increasing continuously
  
• No foreign university branch so far

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Regional Institutions

• Institut de la Francophonie pour
  lEntrepreuneuriat, set up by AUF, caters for
  African region
  
• SSR Medical College, Indian institution
  affiliated to Univ of Mauritius
  
• Mauras College of Dentistry, Indian institution
  affiliated to Univ of Bhavnagar in India
  
• --------------------------------------------------
  ----
  
• Mauritian students studying overseas 6 800
• Total tertiary education enrolment rate 20
• Plan is to increase this to 35

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INSTITUTIONS OVERSEEING TERTIARY EDUCATION

• Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)
• National Accreditation and Equivalence Council
  (NAEC) (now defunct)
  
• Mauritius Qualifications Authority (MQA)

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1 Tertiary Education Commission

• Created 1988 as a parastatal body under Ministry
  of Education
  
• Main responsibilities at time of creation
• Plan, develop, coordinate TEIs under its
  purview allocate govt funds ensure
  accountability optimum use of resources
  
• Institutions under TECs purview
• 1. Univ. of Mtius 2. Mtius Inst. of Education
  3. Mahatma Gandhi Inst. 4. Mtius College of the
  Air 5. (later in 2000) Univ of Tech Mtius
  
• In 1988, no private institutions QA not yet
  applicable

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2. NAEC

• Established by Govt in 1997 under Ministry of
  Education
  
• Main objective was to ensure quality education in
  Mtius
  
• To establish equivalence of qualifications of
  institutions within outside Mtius
  
• To undertake academic audits and accreditation of
  institutions
  
• Was meant to serve as the QA agency in Mtius
• But never really fulfilled its mission

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3. Mauritius Qualifications Authority

• Set up in 2001 under Ministry of training HRD
• Main objective was to evaluate recognise
  qualifications awarded by technical/vocational
  training institutions but this was not explicit
  
• MQA started to also evaluate post-secondary
  qualifications
  
• Overlap in responsibilities between MQA NAEC
  (recognition of qualifications)
  
• Overlap also between MQA TEC (public TEIs)

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MAJOR CHANGES IN 2005

• MQA Act amended, to be responsible for only
  technical/vocational institutions
  
• NAEC demolished, all responsibilities passed on
  to TEC
  
• TEC explicitly given responsibility for ensuring
  quality of public private post-secondary
  institutions
  
• TEC Act amended to give it the following
  additional responsibilities w.r.t. post-secondary
  institutions
  
• 1. register accredit private institutions
• 2. recognise determine equivalence of
  qualifications
  
• 3. promote quality through QA
  accreditation mechanisms

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TEC QA (Public Institutions)

• Set up QA Accreditation Division in 1997
• Quality Assurance Cmttee (with rep from each
  TEI)
  
• May 1997 major seminar QA in Higher Education
  with overseas academics
  
• 1999 Framework for QA in Tertiary Education
  Sector in Mtius published to guide TEIs
  
• 1999 workshop on Setting Up of Institutional QA
  Systems for all TEIs
  
• TECs model is for each TEI to set up its own QA
  system. Guidelines for Establishment of QA
  Systems published
  
• TEC defines quality as fitness of purpose and
  fitness for purpose

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External Auditing of Public TEIs by TEC

• 2000 Guidelines for Self Assessment published
• 2004 Quality Audit Handbook published
• Procedure for external audit
• -TEI to prepare self-assessment portfolio
• -Portfolio assessed by external audit panel
  set up by TEC in consultation with TEI
  
• -Panel visits TEI over 3-4 days, then submits
  its report to TEI through TEC, for comments
  
• -Panel finalises report submits it to TEC
  TEI
  
• -TEI to act on recommendations later
  informs TEC of outcome of actions taken
  
• An aggrieved TEI may appeal to Minister who sets
  up an ad hoc committee to hear and decide on the
  case.
  
• 2005-07 First cycle of auditing of TEIs by TEC.
  Univ of Mtius audited in May 2005.

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Accreditation of Private Institutions by TEC

• Any PI has to register with TEC which then
  accredits its academic programmes
  
• Programme Accreditation Guidelines for
  Programme Accreditation published
  
• Accreditation Panel chaired by TEC Director
  includes 2 subject specialists
  
• Panel may grant provisional accreditation subject
  to quality control by TEC during the programme
  period. Subsequently accreditation may be granted
  for the full duration of the programme
• Panel may also refer back an application with
  recommendations for resubmission, or reject it

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QA at Univ of Mauritius

• UoM started putting QA system in place in mid
  90s in parallel to TECs initiatives
  
• QA under Pro-VC for curriculum development
• Guidance from a number of foreign academics
• Strategic Plan (1999-2004) prepared
• Review of all academic processes started
• University Quality Assurance Team (UQAT) set up
  under Senate. Also FQAT in Faculties, UQAT in
  Administration
  
• Outcome QA documents detailing procedures,
  questionnaires, evaluation forms, etc.
  
• 2002 QA Office with full-time Director
  appointed
  
• 2004 Self assessment mock internal audit
  undertaken
  
• 2005 External Audit by TEC
• 2006 Draft Audit Panels report received views
  submitted. Final report awaited for
  recommendations

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Some Issues for Consideration

• Why was NAEC unable to function? Lack of
  leadership, poor governance structure,
  insufficient resources
  
• Should technical education not be under Ministry
  of Education?
  
• Dividing line between technical and
  post-secondary education is blurred. Hence, still
  overlap between MQA TEC. Different Ministries
  complicate matters further.
• TEC still responsible for channelling govt funds
  to public TEIs. Conflict of interest in TEC
  being also a QA agency?
  
• No legal provision for TEC to charge fees for
  accreditation
  
• Should Director of TEC chair Programme
  Accreditation Panel for PIs?
  
• Serious lack of trained human resources in QA at
  TEC TEIs
  
• Preparing for external audit takes enormous
  institutional effort -time paperwork. Academic
  work suffers, especially in a small institution.
  Too many Cmttees set up at U of Mtius

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THANK YOU