A two-day training workshop has been organised to build the capacity of Quality Assurance Officers in the various institutions affiliated to the University of Cape Coast.
The training workshop which was facilitated by the Institutional Affiliation Office in conjunction with the Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance of UCC was on the theme “Ensuring Academic Quality in Higher Education Institutions”
Addressing participants at the opening ceremony, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. G. K. T. Oduro, noted that globally, quality in tertiary education has become very critical due to competition and the complex nature of higher education. He indicated that institutions of higher education could only become relevant if they maintain quality in all aspect of their services. He said issues of quality should not only be limited to academic engagement but must reflect in all the other service deliveries of institutions.
Prof. Oduro called on the affiliated institutions to consider quality in the context of creating an enabling environment. “If institutions can cope in a competitive environment then quality is assured,” he added. he expressed confidence that the workshop would help devise strategies that would transfer the knowledge to the institutions under the mentorship of UCC.
Speaking at the workshop, the Chairman of the Committee for Institutional Affiliation (CIA), Prof. Edward Marfo-Yiadom pointed out that UCC has over the years provided the best service to its affiliated institutions. He noted that since the establishment of the CIA, UCC has constantly been engaging the affiliated institutions to streamline their activities to conform to standards. He said UCC has always maintained participatory approach in the affiliation process adding “We want each affiliated institution to become chartered within record time so we need to engage you at every stage of the process.”
The Director of the Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance, Professor Kofi Awusabo-Asare in his presentation noted that, for a university to maintain a high standard of quality service delivery, mediocrity should be abhorred. Ensuring that quality is not compromised will not only earn the university a good reputation but will also position it to be a model for others to emulate, he stressed. He urged the officers to embrace excellence and perfection as tools to effectively promote the activities of their respective institutions to earn recognition both locally and internationally.
The workshop was attended by heads of quality assurance of 35 tertiary institutions affiliated to UCC.