Abstract:
In Ethiopia, quality assurance in higher education is one of the government's top priorities, just like in other developing nations. This thesis assesses the implementation of quality assurance (QA) policies in Ethiopian public higher education. More specifically, it concentrates on determining the effectiveness of quality assurance practices and identifying implementation gaps in line with HERQA/ETA focus areas. The key research questions were: „how and under what conditions do public universities in Ethiopia execute ETA quality assurance policies, and what contextual factors influence QA policy implementation?‟ The study is based on the concept that student learning is at the heart of universities‟ educational purpose, and that focusing on the key educational processes and situations that impact student learning quality makes QA procedures more successful.
The study was based on a conceptual framework comprising important concepts in contingency and institutional theories, as well as quality assurance approaches. Two organisational theories, contingency theory, and neo-institutional theory were used to provide a theoretical lens for explaining how internal and external organisational settings impact the implementation of QA policies at HEIs. The study employed a qualitative research approach, which included semi-structured interviews, textual open-ended questions, and document analysis. Purposive sampling was used to choose four public institutions as data sources. The ETA and MoE were also added at the macro level to analyse the impact of institutional contexts on institutional quality audit practices.
The findings show that the implementation of QA policies was not conceptualised in public higher education at large and that reality on the ground differs from the literature generated on the science of QA, instead being applied partially in public institutions. They lack proper QA structures, processes, and documented policies. The QA initiatives were carried out without a clear sense of direction and objectives, resulting in ineffective coordination. Self-evaluations were held symbolically at higher levels of institutions, and the outcomes of the evaluations were seldom used in an organised manner to enhance teaching-learning, faculty decision-making and planning processes. It might be inferred that the ETA‟s quality assurance policies appear to be disconnected from internal quality improvement programmes in HEIs. It is suggested that HEIs design institutional quality QA policies, mobilise resources for institutional quality development, construct fully-fledged QA structures at all levels, and staff the structures with the appropriate human resources.
HEIs should begin and carry out effective self- assessment of their operations, own it, and strive towards achieving their stated goals. It is critical that the ETA creates accreditation mechanisms for public HEIs, particularly at the institutional level. The ETA should be more independent, with greater autonomy and adequate resources to become a sustainable professional agency supporting the HE sectors.
