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ROUND TABLE MEETING OF QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCIES OF THE ORGANISATION OF THE ISLAMIC MEMBER COUNTRIES. 13TH – 15TH NOVEMBER 2009, KAULALUMPUR, MALASIA PRESENTATION OF COUNTRY REPORT BY MUSA I TOURAY MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION, RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (MOHERST) FUTURELEC BUILDING, BERTIL HARDING HIGHWAY, KOTU, THE GAMBIA E-MAIL: [email protected] BRIEF PROFILE OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE GAMBIA COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM * The University of the Gambia (UTG) * The Gambia College (GC) *The Management Development Institute (MDI) * The Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI)*The National Training Authority (NTA) The above – named institutions operate under the perview of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology. VISION STATEMENT Providing access to relevant, sustainable and high quality higher education, Research, Science and Technology. Mission Statement * Enhance access to relevant, sustainable and high quality higher education. * Provide high quality service in higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology. * Ensure gender equity in higher education * Promote the principles of life-long learning (iv) Tertiary and Higher Education Policy Three major policy objectives: *To enhance human resource development capacity of the Gambia in response to labor market needs *To provide relevant, sustainable, and high quality tertiary and higher education and research to support socio-economic, scientific and technological development, and the promotion of excellence in the creation and dissemination of knowledge *To produce men and women who can provide intellectual leadership to the nation, wedded to the ideals of democracy and self reliance in a globalised and interdependent world. •Higher Education Programme Objectives •To encourage the University of the Gambia to offer graduate programmes beginning on a limited scale within the existing faculties, and in co-operation with • foreign Universities. •To reduce the dependency on expatriate teaching staff •To collaborate with other universities in programs relevant to the Gambia. •To finalise the Higher Education Observatory HEO act. •To establish the HEO as the body charge with accrediting and validating qualifications. •Research Programme Objectives •To promote research in the field of development relevant to the Gambia. •To ensure that research in higher education give priority to improving the quality of teaching and learning. •Access to Higher Education Access to higher education in the University of the Gambia improved significantly from 61.3% in 2007 to 92% in 2008. However, gender inequality in access to higher education still exists as more male students continue to be enrolled than female students. Consequently gender gap in 2007 narrowed/ reduced by 41.3% indicating improvement, as compared to 27% in 2008 indicating a drop /wide gap. •University of the Gambia: Faculties and Academic Awards. •Faculties The University of the Gambia created in 1999 has seven (7) faculties: •Faculty of Science and Technology •Faculty of Economics and management Sciences •Faculty of Agriculture and Biological Sciences •Faculty of Languages, Arts and Humanities •Faculty of Social Sciences •Faculty of Education •Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences. •Academic Awards •The UTG offers Bachelor degree programmes of 3-4 years duration across faculties. •A 9 month certificate programme in school Management in the faculty of Education commenced in 2006/2007 academic year. •A Masters degree in History in the faculty of Languages Arts and Humanities commenced in 2007/2008 academic year. B A BRIEF PROFILE OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE GAMBIA: THE MINISTRY OF HGHER EDUCATION, RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY The Ministry of higher Education, Research, Science and Technology was created in January 2007 to guide policy development and supervision in these sub sectors. Institutions under the perview of the MOHERST include the University of the Gambia, the Management Development Institute, the Gambia Technical Training Institute and the National Training Authority responsible for skills training Institutions. The Ministry has an organisational structure that guides authority and accountability. The organisational structure is on the last page of this report. C A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE GAMBIA. •Components of the system •Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology. •The University of the Gambia. (ii) External Quality Assurance Processes: The Role of the MOHERST In general, the directorate of higher Education of the MOHERST has oversight responsibility over the monitoring and supervision of teaching and learning, research, and community engagement programmes on behalf of the MOHERST. Current quality Assurance processes undertaken by the Higher Education Directorate of the MOHERST include: •Ensuring the submission of reports, records, statistical data and institutional policy by tertiary /higher education institutions. •Analysing the information received including recommendations for practice or policy decisions. •Review and planning meetings held by the Higher Education Directorate as needed. •Site visits: •Interviews with top management, heads of faculties, departments, lecturers, students, and support staff to make their opinions on institutional performance. •Conducted tour of institutional facilities. •Observe the quality of teaching and learning as needed. •Verify the degree of accessibility of students to lecturers for advice and counseling. •Observe the use of best practices. •Internal Quality Assurance Processes: The Role of the UTG •UTG Administration •Consultation with staff, heads of faculties, senior management team and delegation of responsibilities appropriately. •Heads of Faculties •Frequent consultation with staff. •Organising faculty meetings and delegation of responsibilities appropriately. •Other Quality Assurance processes •Assessment of students performances by lecturers: assignments ,tests, project work and exams. •Assessment of lecturers performances by students, and those that do not meet students expectations are dropped from their respective programmes. •Peer review mechanisms •Ensure the preparation of relevant curricular involving external assessors and academic staff of the relevant faculties. •Monitor the quality of teaching and learning by relevant heads of the UTG. •Monitor the degree of accessibility of students to lecturers for advice counseling. •Quality Assurance Standards in Higher Education. The monitoring processes undertaken by the MOHERST and UTG focus on compliance to the following standards by the UTG: •Relevant academic and professional qualifications. •Sufficient educational facilities. •Curriculum relevance to national development •Sufficient accessibility of students to lecturers for advice and counseling. •Institutional governance (vision, mission and strategic planning ) •Merit based admissions •High quality of teaching and learning. •Mutual University- community relationships. •Sound financial management •Examinations regulations and standards of academic awards. •Developments The following development has reached an advanced stage: •Establishment of a higher Education Observatory •Development of a Quality Assurance Framework in Higher Education for the Gambia •Integration of tertiary Education in the Gambia. The integration will among other things, improve access, relevance, avoid duplication of programs, increase in efficiency and effectiveness, and sustainability in the delivery of higher education. D CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTION •Challenges •Addressing the problems of inadequate staffing and training opportunities prevailing in the ministry’s Directorates and the UTG •Provision of mobility support to the Higher Education Directorate of the MOHERST to enhance regular quality assurance (monitoring) visits to the UTG based on schedule. •The UTG to explore ways of raising money to cope with the rising cost associated with the provision of Higher Education. •How to institutionalise a research culture in the UTG where staff research undertakings are very limited. •How to ensure the provision of a modern and well equipped library and science laboratory for the UTG. •Future Direction •Review and finalise the terms reference for the Higher Education Observatory, and ensure its full establishment and functionality. •Finalise the development of a functional Quality Assurance Framework in Higher Education for the Gambia •Finalise the integration of tertiary education “act” for subsequent submission to, and approval by parliament through cabinet. •Provide mobility support to the Higher Education Directorate of the MOHERST to enhance external monitoring visits to the UTG. •Provide adequate training opportunities, and increase financial incentives to enhance staff recruitment and retention. •Urge Government to increase its budgetary allocation to the UTG, and to ensure that the UTG explores ways of raising money to meet its financial obligations. •Ensure that the UTG institutionalise a research culture for staff and institutional capacity building. •Improve the educational facilities of the UTG. •Urge the UTG to introduce community outreach programmes.