Abstract
The purpose of the study was to do an evaluation of the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing against the seven input criteria of the Higher Education Quality Committee and make recommendations about improvements necessary in order for the College to become accredited with this body. The evaluation was based on a survey of all teaching sites of the Nursing College, involving an architect and nurse educators. Questionnaires, interviews and site inspection check lists were developed and used to collect data. An initial data summary was done by the team leader, and this was first discussed with the evaluation team and then validated in a meeting with the College staff. The results addressed each of the seven criteria and it was found that only one (assessment) was met, while three were partially met and three not met. It became evident that 70-80% of the KZN CN budget is spent on salaries of staff and students. The implication is that a minimal percentage could have been spent on teaching and learning. South African Colleges of Nursing will never be able to adhere to the standards of higher education, except if the governance context changes to favour the autonomy of these colleges. The biggest challenge lies in adequate funding to ensure quality standards within the college teaching and learning environment, although system development and adequate facilities are also serious limitations.
Highlights
The Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), a permanent sub-committee of the Council of Higher Education (CHE), has set criteria for programme accreditation in higher education
These criteria (CHE 2004:1-33) should drive programme development of the new proposed nursing qualifications set by the South African Nursing Council (SANC 2013a)
Recommendations: 7.1 Integrate clinical preceptors into the programme management structure 7.2 Emphasize position of programme coordinator/manager with a clear job description 7.3 Write a policy for generating certificates to protect the College’s integrity. It became evident through the feasibility study that 70-80% of the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing (KZN CN) budget is spent on salaries of staff and students
Summary
The Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), a permanent sub-committee of the Council of Higher Education (CHE), has set criteria for programme accreditation in higher education. Programmes may not be offered in the Higher Education (HE) sector in South Africa These criteria (CHE 2004:1-33) should drive programme development of the new proposed nursing qualifications set by the South African Nursing Council (SANC 2013a). Geyer (2008: 87) states that in the health professional education sector in South Africa, it is only nursing colleges and hospital schools that find themselves outside the education mainstream in an environment with a very different mission, yet they are obliged to comply with national education standards These nursing training institutions fall within the jurisdiction of the provincial department of health. All the new nursing qualifications (see table 8.1) are pegged on the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework Draft (HEQSF) (CHE 2013: 38; FUNDISA 2011; SANC 2013a) within the higher education sector as classified by the NQF Act 67 of 2008 (RSA 2008)
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