QualityassuranceinhighereducationinZimbabwe-AABRI.pdfVIP

Research in Higher Education Journal Quality assurance in higher education in Zimbabwe Evelyn Chiyevo Garwe Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to furnish local and global stakeholders with detailed information regarding the development and current status of quality assurance in the Zimbabwean higher education sector. The study used document analysis, observation and interviews with key informants as sources of data. This paper addresses the dearth of documented information on issues of quality assurance in Zimbabwe. In addition, it discusses examples of programmes and best practices that could be emulated. Keywords: Quality, quality assurance, higher education, Zimbabwe Copyright statement: Authors retain the copyright to the manuscripts published in AABRI journals. Please see the AABRI Copyright Policy at /copyright.html. Quality assurance in higher, page 1 Research in Higher Education Journal INTRODUCTION In the era of increased globalisation, quality assurance in higher education is critical in every country’s strategic plans to enhance competitiveness and to meet international expectations and standards. The definition and approach to quality assurance differs from among countries and hence it becomes imperative to understand the geographical context; the indicators and frameworks; the successes and challenges associated with implementing quality higher education in each country. This information helps in formulating strategies for quality delivery by taking advantage of best practices elsewhere and avoiding already known pitfalls . Sadly, locally research-based literature pertaining to issues of quality and quality ass