The genesis of quality assurance systems in higher education institutions in Uganda

Abstract

This chapter traces quality assurance systems during the pre-liberal, liberal and neo-liberal periods, good practices and challenges in their institutionalisation in higher education institutions in Uganda. Before the mid-1980s, the systems were based on institutional affiliations following the University of London Model, the Inter-University Council for East Africa and later on, with the collapse of the University of East Africa in 1970, a centralised control. From the mid-1980s, liberalisation led to the proliferation of higher education institutions, causing quality crises. With the promulgation of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act amended, an institutionalised quality assurance system gradually formed, marking a shift from affiliation to accreditation, collegialism to national and professional benchmarks, and a hybrid of external and internal systems. Despite the robust system provided by the Uganda National Quality Assurance Framework for Universities, there are challenges in its institutionalisation. Consequently, quality assurance officers have established a national forum as a nurturing space in the catalytic process of ensuring quality standards. Trends point towards quality assurance engagements taking precedence in universities and harmonised national, regional and international higher education quality assurance systems. Lessons drawn from this discussion might benefit the higher education subsector in the rest of Africa.