Just as humans, no two higher education systems are exactly alike. National higher education accreditation systems may appear similar especially when they share common traits, like being in countries of comparable economic status. However, even when similarities abound, there are nuances within each system that reflect cultural, economic, local, and national priorities. For example, Japan’s national higher accreditation standards require that universities have a social cooperation and contribution policy “to advance the public good” (JUAA, 2020, p. 4), while Liberia’s national higher accreditation standards focus on “ushering the nation into modernity in science, technology, development, and gender equality” (NCHE, 2002, p. 3). Germany and the United Kingdom are both high-income nations. Yet, Germany’s higher education at the bachelor’s level is free for all, including international students, which is different from the United Kingdom’s fee-based system. In all instances each country has standards to advance higher education, but with local and global challenges in mind.
Understanding national accreditation standards provides clues to higher education policies. The success or failure of higher education institutions in many ways can be intertwined in their ability to adhere to or surpass national accreditation standards while having the physical, financial, and human resources that support such an endeavor.
Without measurable standards, neither universities nor governments can truly gauge student achievement levels, pain points in delivering quality education, or how to address mismatches in skill development to societal needs. Measurable standards thereby help to establish trust between universities and the private sector (Ali Aljarallah, 2022).
While speaking at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, Manuel Castells (2009) argued that “the quality, effectiveness, and relevance of the university system [should] be directly related to the ability of people, society, [and] institutions,” to ensure more equality within the public domain. To do this, university offerings need to align with higher education accreditation standards to make certain that the people most affected by the services provided through these institutions can benefit. Accreditation standards are not arbitrary rules put in place to curtail creativity and innovation. In fact, they serve the exact opposite. Accredited institutions attest to high standards of quality (Gerón-Piñón, 2021), which allow for the cross pollination of ideas to flow between sectors that do not often have opportunities to intermingle. One area where more collaboration can lead to enhanced local development is between higher education and civil society organizations (CSOs).
In the case of higher education, locally led development efforts have the potential to play a vital role in guaranteeing that higher education accreditation standards and the implementation of those standards meet the needs of students, lecturers, and employers alike. According to the Global education monitoring report, 2021/2: non-state actors in education: who chooses? who loses?, non-state actors have played a role in all aspects of education from its inception. Non-state actors such as civil societies work together with parents to engage educational policy leaders and hold them to account. When locally led civil societies are absent from discussions around higher education accreditation and higher education policy, all aspects of tertiary education suffer.
Civil societies offer a unique lens to higher education policies that focus on human rights, inclusion, sustainability, and diversity (UNESCO, 2021). Oftentimes, it is CSOs that have meaningful relationships with local communities, more so than government officials. These bonds allow CSOs to convey the needs and desires of the most marginalized students to education leaders. Because of the humanistic views that CSOs bring to their work, their voices become crucial when discussing social transformation through the creation of higher education accreditation standards and policies. It is civil societies working in communities that advocate for strong education systems. In Liberia, CSOs have highlighted the necessity for higher education institutions to ensure services for the disabled, safety for female students, and the tapping of local knowledge to address community challenges (GoL, 2022).
Collaborating with CSOs allows for local leaders and community members to advance ideas for what they see as important. CSOs are mechanisms for good governance as their mandates align with those of higher education. For example, both universities and CSOs want to provide a safe place where people can express their ideas and concerns. They want to create systems that enhance the progress of national development. They want to involve people from all aspects of society in designing a brighter future for the next generation. To do the work of the people, efforts should be led by the people.
Do you have experience working on higher education accreditation? Have you seen effective collaborations between civil society and universities? Please join the conversation and let us know what you think.
References
Ali Aljarallah, N. &. (2022). Developing a Quality Automation Framework to Assess Specifications for Academic Accreditation in Saudi Arabian Universities. TEM Journal, 667-674.
Gerón-Piñón, G. S.-G.-P.-G. (2021). Management indicators: their impact on Latin-American universities’ accreditation. Quality in Higher Education, 184-205.
GoL. (2022). Government of Liberia Ministry of Education: Education Sector Plan 2022-2023:2026-2027. Movnrovia: MoE.
JUAA, J. U. (2020). University Standards and Rationale. Japanese University Accreditation Association.
NCHE, N. C. (2002). Naitonal Policy on Higher Education in the Republic of Liberia. Monrovia: NCHE.
UNESCO. (2021). The role of Civil Society Organizations in 2050 and Beyond. Paris: UNESCO.
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