Prof. Moses Golola (2nd Right), Executive Director, National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and Prof. Venasius Baryamureeba (Right), Vice Chancellor, Makerere University, on a peer visit to Nkumba University in April 2011.

Nkumba University aspires to excel in teaching, research and community engagement through quality assurance practices

In keeping with the requirement of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) that every University in Uganda should have a quality assurance unit, Nkumba University established its Quality Assurance Office in 2009. In 2011 the University Council established a fully fledged Quality Assurance Directorate. The Directorate is headed by Associate Professor Michael Mawa. 

The Directorate is tasked to coordinate quality assurance initiatives and activities in the various academic and non-academic units of the University.

Assoc. Prof. Michael Mawa, Director  Quality Assurance at Nkumba University.

There are two major dimensions to the activities of the Quality Assurance Directorate. There is the internal quality assurance mechanism, which includes self-evaluations by each of the (six) Schools of the University, or University-wide evaluations. These evaluations use instruments or guidelines developed by the University Quality Assurance Directorate, and reports are accordingly made.

The second major dimension to evaluation is the external assessment of University programmes and facilities by NCHE, the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and professional bodies such as the Law Council and the Medical Council. These bodies use instruments or guidelines they have developed to assess the quality of University programmes, activities as well as staff.    

The two dimensions are crucial for accreditation of the University programmes, which are certified as a result of these quality assurance undertakings. 

Establishing and promoting the quality of output and service in a higher institution of learning such as Nkumba University is a continuous process and the Quality Assurance Directorate shall press on with the requisite training for both academic and non-academic staff.

“We want this activity to be ongoing to enhance keenness to Quality Assurance mechanisms and processes,” said Assoc. Prof. Mawa. “We have held beneficial seminars before, and we intend to continue with all forms of essential training on Quality Assurance.”

The Quality Assurance Directorate is refining the existing instruments, which include a comprehensive quality assurance policy and assessment instruments such as questionnaires. The Directorate is guided by NCHE benchmarks, IUCEA guidelines as well as the other regulatory bodies. Nkumba University continues to build its quality assurance system with support from national and regional quality assurance initiatives.

Even with resource constraints, staff in the six Schools of the University is inclined to meet quality standards set both within the University and externally. In this regard, the Quality Assurance Unit continues to provide the requisite guidance to achieve quality education at Nkumba University. 

Last edited on: May 21st, 2012; 05:31pm