Council on Higher Education visits VUT to ‘engage on broad quality assurance matters’
Council on Higher Education visits VUT to ‘engage on broad quality assurance matters’
Mike Khuboni 30 Sept 2020
CHE’s CEO: Professor Narend Baijanth; Director: Institutional Audits, Dr Britta Zawada; Professor Margaret Linington, DVC: Teaching, Learning and Student Support Services and VUT Administrator: Professor Ihron Rensburg
A high-profile delegation from the Council on Higher Education (CHE) has visited the Vaal University of Technology on a support visit after the pilot audit that was completed in 2018, to assist and encourage the University to maintain a culture of continuous improvement as well as to assist in closing any gaps in its Quality Assurance systems.
The visit by CHE’s CEO, Professor Narend Baijanth, and Director: Institutional Audits, Dr Britta Zawada, follows the completion at VUT last year, of a voluntary Pilot Audit by the CHE to assist the CHE to evaluate the new Audit criteria as well as evaluate VUT’s quality management and assurance framework.
CHE is an independent statutory body established by the Government to (1) advise the Minister of Higher Education on any aspect of higher education on its own initiative or at the request of the Minister; (2) arrange and co-ordinate conferences, and (3) through the Higher Education Quality Committee to promote quality assurance in higher education, audit the quality assurance mechanisms of higher education institutions, and accredit programmes of higher education.
VUT’s Administrator, Professor Ihron Rensburg, welcomed the CHE visitors saying the support by the Council came at exactly the right time as the University was busy rebuilding and restoring ‘academic pride’ which is the core of the University.
Rensburg also highlighted what had been achieved since his appointment as Administrator by the Minister of Higher Education since he took office in August last year.
The pilot audit formed part of CHE’s integrated quality assurance approach and gave the CHE an opportunity to test its instruments, processes and procedures before starting with its next cycle of audits of institutions of higher learning.
Baijnath said the visit was not an audit site visit but rather to support VUT which had set an example by volunteering to be part of the independent review by CHE.
He emphasized that a full institutional audit would still take place at VUT, in the next cycle.
For further enquiries contact:
Mr Mike Khuboni
Executive Director: Advancement