Academic Accreditation: A Continuous Process of Quality Assurance

February 15, 2024

HEADLINES

Check your Higher Learning Institution Accreditation Before You Enroll (South Africa Government News, February 12, 2024) The South African Qualification Authority (SAQA), Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), Council on Higher Education (CHE), and Umalusi held a media briefing to address bogus higher education institutions and fake qualifications. In addition to checking institutional accreditation status, check the legitimacy of their qualifications in searchable databases.

Academic Accreditation: A Continuous Process of Quality Assurance (University World News, February 10, 2024) Higher education accreditation is a quality assurance process undertaken by an external agency that has the principal aim of protecting the reputation of the higher education sector. The overarching goal of accreditation is to improve and support the continuous academic quality improvement of what the institution offers.

A Committee is Probing Degree Mills and Measures to Stop Them (University World News, February 7, 2024) The National Universities Commission said it will make recommendations for the review of rules, procedures, and processes to prevent reoccurrence and sanctions for identified erring officials. It will further make recommendations to strengthen the system of recognition, accreditation, and quality assurance of degrees in Nigeria.

NAAC Binary, Multi-Level Accreditation Will Eliminate Unhealthy Competition (Education Times, February 5, 2024) The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) announced a binary accreditation system for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), following which they will be categorized as either 'accredited' or ‘not accredited.

Higher Education Institutions not to be Graded During Accreditation Process, NAAC Announces (Hindustan Times, January 28, 2024) The Higher education Institutions in India will no longer be graded during the accreditation process. Instead, they will be categorized as “either accredited or not accredited,” announced the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. 

Ukraine’s University Born Out of War: ‘Education is our Future’ (Times Higher Education, January 26, 2024) SET University president Iryna Volnytska discussed the challenges of building a new institution in wartime. The process thus far has not been easy, nor is the path ahead likely to be so. The university has repeatedly butted up against Ukrainian legislation in its battle for accreditation.  

Cheat During Visitation, Lose Accreditation, NUC Warns Universities (News Agency of Nigeria, January 21, 2024) The National Universities Commission (NUC) has warned universities to desist from cutting corners during accreditation visitations or risk their programs’ approval being revoked. Institutions and programs that fall short of the threshold of the minimum academic standards and fail to meet the resource assessment benchmarks would be denied accreditation.