Introduction

The Quality Assurance and Accreditation Division (QAAD) was set up in 1997 with the mandate to ensure quality of higher education in the Publicly Funded Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs). In 2005, with amendments in the TEC Act, the QAAD has been mandated to implement a regulatory framework for ensuring quality of post-secondary education, and determine the recognition and equivalence of post-secondary qualifications. The QAAD endeavours to ensure systematic, structured and continuous attention to quality monitoring, maintenance and improvement. The regulatory framework comprises effective operational conceptions of quality and quality assurance embedded within the matrix of policies, programmes and practices of the Commission.

Mission

‘To instil confidence in the public and the stakeholders that quality of educational provision and academic standards in higher education are being maintained and enhanced.’

Objective

Bring postsecondary education provision in line with international standards and quality

Strategies

1. Set benchmarks for assuring quality of post-secondary education
2. Publicise benchmarks amongst providers
3. Undertake periodic academic audits for assessing the quality of education provided in the tertiary educational institutions
4. Encourage institutions to set up QA mechanisms for ensuring the quality of their programmes
5. Critically assess the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) and improve to bring it in line with international standards
6. Monitor the QAF on an on-going basis
7. Promote quality initiatives with the objective of enhancing quality in the design and delivery of programmes
8. Require institutions to develop guidelines for promoting good practice and innovation in teaching and research

Publicly Funded Tertiary Educational Institutions

Tertiary Education within the public sector revolves around eight institutions namely the University of Mauritius (UoM), the University of Technology Mauritius (UTM), the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE), the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI), the Rabindranath Tagore Institute (RTI), the Fashion Design Institute (FDI), the Mauritius College of the Air (MCA) and the Open University Mauritius (OUM).

The QAAD has been very rigorous in ensuring that these institutions develop policies and associated procedures for the assurance of the quality and standards of their programmes and awards. Thus TEIs also commit themselves explicitly to the development of a culture which recognises the importance of quality, and quality assurance, in their work. To this end, Quality Assurance Units have been established in all TEIs and these units have been manned and empowered to ensure that the strategy for the continuous enhancement of quality is implemented effectively.

Quality Assurance Committee

The Quality Assurance Committee is a sector wide committee set up at the Commission to drive the quality assurance agenda for the tertiary education sector. Accordingly all tertiary education institutions are represented by their Quality Assurance Officers or their representatives. This committee meets on a quarterly basis to discuss quality assurance matters for the sector, including capacity building.

Quality Audit

As per internationally established practices, in Mauritius, TEIs are required to undergo external verification of their institutional quality assurance systems. In this context, Quality Audit is the most common and widely used process of such verification. The emphasis is on improvement as well as accountability.

An audit cycle is spread over a period of five years. The first cycle of quality audits in Mauritius started in 2005. Since then the publicly funded post secondary institutions under the purview of the TEC have been audited on the basis of the Criteria for Quality Audits as set out in the Quality Audit Handbook published in 2004. The Commission published the second edition of the Quality Audit Handbook in November 2010 and institutions which will follow the second cycle of quality audits will refer to the guidelines set therein.

The Quality Audit Handbook has been developed by the QAAD to provide institutions being audited for the first time and those embarking on the second cycle as well as auditors with the guidelines and general information on the conduct of Quality Audits.

A Quality Audit is conducted by an approved Audit Panel comprising International and local experts in the field of Quality Assurance.

The QAAD assists all TEIs in preparing for the Quality Audit by conducting regular sensitisation workshops and other capacity building activities to strengthen the internal quality assurance mechanisms put in place by the TEIs. After the Quality Audit, the Division monitors on an ongoing basis the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of the Quality Audit.

The Quality Audit Reports for the first cycle of audits have been posted on the website under Publications.

Regulatory Framework

Higher education is assuming a growing significance for developing countries, including Mauritius. Since 2005, the growth of private post secondary institutions has been very rapid. The challenge for Mauritius has been to develop a regulatory framework that enables fair transition in the conversion of challenges into opportunities and to adapt to the dynamism of the changing knowledge environment. The regulatory framework has been developed in line with the Mission of the Commission “Position Mauritius in the Region as a world-class Knowledge Hub and the gateway for post secondary education”. This overarching regulatory framework comprises inter-alia guidelines for the establishment and registration of post-secondary educational institutions, criteria and guidelines for quality assurance and accreditation, criteria for awarding status and the grant of university title, criteria for the setting up of degree awarding institutions at the start of activities etc. The regulatory framework is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that its effectiveness in the evolving post-secondary sector.

Quality Assurance in Private Post Secondary Education Institutions

Private postsecondary education providers (PSEI) offer tertiary level programmes locally, mostly in niche areas such as Information Technology, Law and Management. Most of these institutions operate mostly on a part-time basis, in the evenings and during weekends. Their programmes are awarded by overseas institutions and are being offered though franchise agreements whereby the overseas institutions provide materials and/or tutorial support.

All private post secondary education providers are required to have their institution registered and their programmes accredited with the Commission. A programmatic accreditation is concerned with quality of a programme or course which is intended to be offered by a private institution. For the purpose of accreditation, the QAAD calls for co-opted panel members from the industry and subject specialist in academia to constitute the accreditation panel. For medical and allied programmes, International Monitoring Committees are set up comprising international experts from overseas at the level of Dean, the relevant councils and representatives of TEC and other related Ministries.

The QAAD also assists private PSEI in the setting up of their internal Quality Assurance systems. External verification of quality is then done through quality assurance visits affected by the Division.

With a view to facilitate the growth of the sector, the QAAD responds to a complete application for the establishment of a PSEI in 14 days and 42 days for the registration of an institution and the accreditation of its programmes.

Recognition and Equivalence of Qualifications

Recognition of qualifications is a process of formally acknowledging the appropriateness of a certain qualification for a specific purpose including enabling the qualification holder to access further and/or higher educational, and/or employment activities.

Equivalence of qualifications on the other hand is a process of formally establishing as to whether two or more qualifications are equal or deemed to be equal or comparable in value.

Framework for Medical, Dental and Nursing Education in Mauritius

The Framework for Medical, Dental and Nursing Education in Mauritius has been approved by the TEC Board at its Meeting 2008 (9) held on 31 July 2008. The Framework has been developed with a view to provide a regulatory environment for Medical, Dental and Nursing Education and it provides a comprehensive picture of the requirements that any Medical, Dental or Nursing College wishing to set up in Mauritius to offer a MBBS programme will have to fulfil. The Framework for Medical Education in Mauritius has been divided into two components, the non-clinical and the clinical.

The non-clinical component comprises the infrastructural, staff and equipment requirements that the Medical, Dental and Nursing College must satisfy for the non clinical part of their Programme. These non clinical requirements have been detailed in the Minimum Standards Requirements for the Medical College.

The clinical component spells out the guidelines and minimum requirements for Clinical Training at the teaching hospital that Colleges would have to satisfy. The TEC Board has approved that the Framework for Medical Education in Mauritius be included as an annex to the “Guidelines for the submission of Project Proposals for the Establishment of Private Institutions or Branches, Centres or Campuses of Overseas Institutions, Offering Postsecondary Education in the Republic of Mauritius”. At the time of application, the Medical College will have to submit to the TEC the requirements as per the Framework for Medical Education in Mauritius. If approval to set up the Medical, Dental or Nursing College is granted, at the time of Registration, TEC will verify that the requirements as per the Framework for Medical Education have been met. The TEC will then accredit the Programme on a yearly basis.