Strategic Focus Area
Building Capacity for Institutional Quality Management
Ensuring academic standards. Enhancing effectiveness and responsiveness.
Our Strategic Focus Area for Institutional Quality Management focuses on assisting SADC HEIs to establish robust internal quality management systems that are based on international standards for good practice. We are committed to supporting our network members in the development of student-centred frameworks for learning and teaching.
Through this strategic focus area, we support the objectives of the SADC Protocol on Education and Training which aims to improve the overall quality and relevance of education and training in the region. The Protocol emphasises the importance of equitable access to quality education and widening opportunities for participation, through the recognition of qualifications, inter-regional mobility, and the harmonisation of admission requirements.
SARUA’s strategic focus area on Institutional Quality Management has been gaining momentum especially regarding internal quality assurance (IQA) in the SADC. In line with SARUA’s strategic objectives, a research project to explore the ‘State of Play of IQA in the SADC’ was launched through a webinar held on 17 August 2021. From October 2021 to February 2022, seven focus group meetings were held which informed the development of an online questionnaire which was piloted and subsequently distributed from March 2022 to August 2022.
The purpose of this research was to explore the state of play of IQA in the SADC from the perspective of regional stakeholders working in the higher education sector and identifying the opportunities and challenges in implementing IQA systems. The key findings clearly indicated the importance of monitoring the implementation of IQA and identified the areas for SARUA to include in its future capacity development programmes. Further, the research highlighted the value attached to forming a Community of Practice (CoP) to provide a forum for discussion and ongoing support amongst QA practitioners in the region. The findings of this research show that while IQA systems are in place and there is a considerable understanding of the technical aspects which underpin the success of an IQA system, there is a challenge regarding implementing institutional-level management of change to allow the embedding of a shared quality culture.
View the report State of Play of IQA in the SADC
English Version: Summary, Full Report.
Portuguese Version: Summary.
French Version: Summary, Full Report.
Community of Practice
The Community of Practice (CoP), established as a result of the research findings, operates under a set of terms defined by the Coordinating Team, which is composed of five members from various SADC countries. This forum is dedicated to fostering engagement and collective learning among its members.The Coordinating Team will serve a term of three years, after which new coordinators will be selected from SADC countries that have not yet participated in the team. Following this initial term, a new Coordinating Team will be nominated every two years. The team will elect a convenor from within their ranks, with the role of convenor rotating among members every six months.Support for the CoP will be provided by the SARUA Leader for the Strategic Focus Area for Institutional Quality Management.
Community of Practice Coordinating Team
Prof. Ana Maria Nhampule
Mozambique
With a Master’s in Curriculum and Instructional Development from Eduardo Mondlane University (2004) and a degree in Portuguese Language and Culture: Foreign Language from the University of Lisbon (1995), Ana brings extensive expertise to her field. She served as president of the National Council for Assessment and Quality Assurance in Higher Education (CNAQ) and has actively contributed to international quality assurance initiatives, including the Southern African Technical Committee on Certification and Accreditation (TCCA) and various continental projects like HAQAA, Tuning Africa II and the African Credits Transfer System. Additionally, her experience spans the development and implementation of training programmes in public administration and management, as well as research and curriculum design for higher and basic education.
Dr Mary Simwango
Zambia
Mary is a senior quality assurance officer at Chreso University in Lusaka, Zambia, where she has over five years of experience in developing, implementing and evaluating quality programmes to meet community needs. She also serves as the deputy registrar at the university and has a background as a public health lecturer. Holding a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Zambia and a Master of Science in Epidemiology from Sokoine University of Agriculture, she specialises in tropical diseases. Her research has been published and presented internationally and nationally. Known for her result-oriented approach, Mary excels in analytical and critical thinking, valuing teamwork and continuous improvement in her professional practice.
Dr Beata Mushema
Tanzania
Beata is a project manager and monitoring and evaluation specialist with a medical background, currently based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is an academic faculty member and quality assurance lead at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University, where she oversees undergraduate and postgraduate health programmes. Her expertise includes conducting institutional assessments for external accreditation, curriculum development and creating internal quality assurance systems to support evidence-based decision-making. Passionate about learner-centred medical education, she focuses on faculty development to ensure graduates have a comprehensive skill set for the evolving job market. Additionally, Beata is a Basic Life Support instructor accredited by the American Heart Association and the Resuscitation Council of Southern Africa. She is also a Fellow of the InterSCALE Fellowship programme, a collaboration between Aga Khan University and the University of Oxford, where she develops clinical dashboards for data-driven decision-making in healthcare settings.
Dr Lockhias Chitanana
Zimbabwe
Lockhias is the deputy director of the Quality Assurance and Professional Development (QAPD) unit at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. He is an experienced teacher educator specialising in technology education, with a focus on ICT integration and instructional technology. For over twenty years, he has taught educational technology and ICT curriculum integration at both university and teacher training college levels. Since 1999, he has developed and led online teacher professional development courses in collaboration with national and international organisations, including iEARN, World Links for Development (WorLD), the Discovery Channel Global Education Fund Workshop, and the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa. He has also coordinated online learning projects with iEARN, the Global Teenager Project and WorLD. Lockhias has completed the HAQAA2 MOOC series on Regional and Continental Integration in Higher Education, organised by AAU and OBREAL Global, and serves as a trained peer reviewer for external academic and institutional quality assurance audits with the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education. He holds a PhD in Technology Education from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Dr Tasokwa Kakota Chibowa
Malawi
Tasokwa is the chief of party for the USAID-funded Transforming Higher Education Systems project in Malawi and a former director of quality assurance at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She is an associate professor in applied mathematics with over 20 years of experience in teaching and applied research in STEM fields within higher education. She holds a PhD in Dryland Resource Management from the University of Nairobi (2011), a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech (USA), and a Bachelor’s in Education (Mathematics and Statistics) from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. Tasokwa is highly experienced in internal and external quality assurance, with expertise in qualitative and quantitative data collection, gender analysis and inclusion studies, including using the Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). She has received formal facilitation training from African Women in Agriculture and Research Development and has collaborated with the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture and the AAU to deliver training to both international and national participants.
TrainIQA
The TrainIQA programme is an initiative of the Dialogue on Innovative HE Strategies (DIES) and is jointly coordinated by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Higher Education Rectors Conference (HRK). The initiative is funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is managed by the University of Potsdam. SARUA is an implementation partner for the SADC region and has been actively engaged in the TrainIQA programme.
The TrainIQA programme aims to:
- Strengthen national capacities in the field of quality assurance.
- Promote exchange and networking among higher education institutions (HEIs) and various stakeholders.
- Provide opportunities for exchange and dialogue both within the SADC region and between European and African partners and institutions.
- Enhance the professionalisation of quality managers who will promote ongoing capacity development in the field of internal quality assurance (IQA) at their home institutions as well as within their respective countries.
Training modules
Five training modules have been developed which may be downloaded from trainiqa.org. The modules are as follows:
SARUA’s Participation
SARUA participated in the selection of the cohorts of candidates for the 2020 /2021 and 2023/2024 training programmes respectively. The training for the first cohort was conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023/2024 SADC Train IQA programme, offered over an 18-month period, consists of three interconnected workshops (two in the SADC and one at the University of Potsdam, in Germany) as well as online phases. 185 staff members from higher education institutions across the SADC applied to participate in the programme and 30 were selected. These participants come from the following SADC countries: Angola, Botswana, DRC, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The first workshop for the 2023/2024 cohort was held at the University of Johannesburg from the 19th to the 24th of March 2023 with training conducted jointly by trainers from Germany and from the SADC. During the last two days of the workshop, a conference was held, which was attended by the respective executive manager (Vice-chancellor / Deputy Vice-chancellor) from each of the SADC institutions represented at the workshop. During this final conference, the participants presented the topics for their institutional change projects, which forms an integral part of the training programme. The second workshop was held in Potsdam, Germany from the 7th to the 12th of August 2023. The final workshop will be held in a SADC country in March or April 2024.
The DAAD also provided funding for research on the State of play of Quality Assurance in the SADC. The project was undertaken by Butcher and Associates and a report was published in 2018. [Hoosen S, Chetty Y and Butcher N, 2018. State of Play: Regional Quality Assurance in Southern Africa SADC. DAAD. Germany.
Access the report
