baclight newsletter, june 2011
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FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
QUALITY MATTERS!
situation which has confronted
applicants is where on completion
of studies, the qualifi cation
could not be recognized by the
Council as it was not recognized
by the competent authority in its
home country. Th ese competent
authorities are generally
counterpart national/state
accreditation agencies, Ministries
or other relevant agencies in the
particular jurisdiction for the
parent institution.
With the establishment of the
Barbados Accreditation Council,
citizens and residents of Barbados
should not have to receive such
unfortunate news if they fi rst
seek to obtain the recognition/
public. Th e Council is urging
members of the public to
ascertain the recognition of
prospective institutions and
their off erings before investing
money, time and other resources.
Th e reality is that from time
to time, applicants have been
informed by the Council that
their prospective programme
of study or institution will not
be recognized by the Council
as it is not recognized in its
home country by the relevant
competent authority(ies).
Issuing such information
can be disheartening not
only to customers but also
to the Council. Th e other
“Your Gateway to Global Recognition” JUNE 2011 | Vol.5 No. 1
public. Th e
members
ascertain t
prospective
their off erin
money, time
Th e reality
to time, ap
informed b
their prosp
of study or
be recogni
as it is n
home cou
competen
Issuing
can be
only to
to the
Chairman’s Word 2From the Desk of the Executive Director 3Focus on Registered Educational Providers 410th Bienniel INQAAHE Conference 4
Accredibase Report 2011 6 Fake Degree Scam Exposed 7BAC News 9Around the Region 10
WHAT’S
INSIDE:
“What you don’t know
could hurt you” can
be found on one of the
Council’s posters which
promotes its recognition
s e r v i c e s
to the
general
Continued on page 3
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CHAIRMAN’S WORD
bring consistency, greater effi ciency and excellence in tertiary education.
Th is article shows some of the approaches made by Barbados to embrace a quality assurance (QA) system in tertiary education. It further highlights Barbados’ ‘buy in’ and ownership of the system through its investment in the Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC). It also demonstrates that key approaches such as commitment, consistent planning, fi nancial and human resources, internal and external partnerships and stakeholder involvement, must be embarked upon in order to ensure the successful implementation of an effi cient and eff ective system.
Policy makers, in QA systems, have identifi ed a number of the challenges encountered by small states. Among them are: lack of funds, absence of trained personnel, limited knowledge of quality assurance systems, convincing persons to ‘buy into’ the idea and lack
of political will and support from governments.
At the regional level, Caribbean territories under the CARICOM umbrella, brought attention to these challenges and in early 2000 spearheaded an initiative to enhance quality assurance in the region. Under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas 2001, Articles 35 (2) and 46 respectively, policies were instituted to set up national bodies to deal with the accreditation and equivalencies of qualifi cations and the movement of skilled Caribbean nationals.
Th e Barbados Government welcomed this impetus and was quick in setting up a national infrastructure to fully implement a quality assurance system in tertiary education. Th e Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC) was established through an Act of Parliament on 15 December 2004 and became operational in May 2006 as the sole government agency with responsibility for assuring quality and integrity of post-secondary and tertiary education and training in Barbados. Th e government of Barbados is responsible for the investment resources of the BAC.
ap
Chairman, Ms. Yvonne Walkes, SCM, JP
Continued on page 8
“Quality is something you work at. It is a learning process” (Claudia Levy)
At the beginning of the twenty-fi rst century,
Barbados, like the rest of the Caribbean and some other small developing states, lagged with the implementation of a robust quality assurance system in tertiary education. Small states recognised that if they were to be relevant and competitive in a globalised world, they needed to adopt systems that would
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“ENHANCING ACCESS TO TERTIARY EDUCATION IN A
GLOBALIZED ENVIRONMENT: THE QUALITY IMPERATIVE”
Conference Sub-Th emes include:
• Enhancing Academic Services and On and Off Campus Life to Maximize Student Success • Online
Learning: Issues and Trends • Cross Border Tertiary Education: Challenges and Opportunities •
Tertiary Education Accessibility and Financing • ICTs and E-Libraries • Student Learning and
Retention • Pre Conference Workshop theme is entitled
“Strategies and Initiatives to Attract and Retain Students to Meet the Quality Imperative”
Log on to for more information
accreditation status of institutions
and/or programmes of study.
One of the strategic interventions
that would facilitate the
recognition of local qualifi cations
will be the National Qualifi cations
Framework (NQF) of Barbados.
Amongst other benefi ts, the NQF
would: (i) provide for a seamless
system between academic and
technical, vocational education
and training; (ii) provide for
a unifi ed system of credits, as
credits would be assigned to
each level of qualifi cation; (iii)
facilitate transfer of credits
between tertiary institutions;
and (iv) encourage lifelong
learning opportunities through
informal and formal educational
routes. Th e Barbados NQF will
be a critical component of the
proposed Human Resource
Development Strategy which
is currently being debated in
the House of Parliament. As
soon as this national initiative
is approved, readers will be
apprised further on the NQF, in
future BAClight editions.
Until then, the Council
anticipates you will enjoy reading
this edition of BAClight!
Valda V. Alleyne (Ms)Executive Director
Continued from page 1
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FOCUS ON REGISTERD
EDUCATIONAL PROVIDERS
The ongoing economic recession which is being
felt in the Caribbean, has challenged the restructuring and reorganizing of businesses, so as to compel their repositioning in order to remain competitive within the market place.
Th e demand for market share and a focus on fi nancial returns may be seen by most as important. It however would be shortsighted, if management at the enterprise level did not pay close attention to human resource development as part of the overall package in the reordering process.
Employers and management personnel are therefore encouraged to take an objective look at repositioning their businesses through the empowerment of their human resources. It is advisable that management embarks on a plan of training and retraining of their staff . Th is training and retraining ought to be seen as key components to the success of any enterprise, as training has proven to signifi cantly contribute to improved levels of effi ciency, productivity and the delivery of high quality service.
In responding to the needs of the market, Regional M a n a g e m e n t Services Inc. off ers high quality workplace training programmes which are suited to all levels of staff . It is our aim to create a better understanding by all employees and employers of the following:-
Th e best practices to be observed in the work place
Workplace policies and procedures
Terms and conditions of services
Legal responsibilities and obligations
Th e management of workplace issues
Emerging issues in the work environment.
Dennis de Peiza
Managing Director
Regional Management Service Inc
P.O. BOX 845
Bridgetown
Barbados
Tel: 246-230-9322
E-mail: rmsinc@sunbeach.net
i. The 10th Biennial INQAAHE Conference was held from April 4 – 7, in Madrid, Spain. It was hosted by the Agencia Nacional de Evaluación de La Calidad Y Acreditación (ANECA), the quality assurance agency in Madrid, Spain and had as its theme “Quality Assurance: Foundation for the Future”.
Th ere were four (4) subthemes:
i. Globalizing forces and national/regional goals
ii. Professionalization of Quality Assurance (QA)
iii. Eff ective QA processes for diversity, development and sustainability; and
iv. Independence of quality assurance vis a vis diff erent stakeholders
Th e four PreConference workshops focused on the following topics and were well attended:
i. Standards, Learning Outcomes and Programme Accreditation
ii. Managing an External Quality Assurance Agency
iii. Internal QA Systems within Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs); and
iv. Eff ective Site Visits
10TH BIENNIAL INQAAHE CONFERENCE10TH BIENNIAL
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Th e address delivered by His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias, Prince Felipe de Borbón y Grecia was the highlight of Opening Ceremony. In his address, His Royal Highness reiterated the need for top quality education globally in order to increase production effi ciency, competitiveness, the employment rate and well being of nations. He further lauded the INQAAHE whose work “contributes to creating a space where diff erent academic and cultural traditions can meet and obtain mechanisms to know each other and to generate mutual trust”.
Dr. Nadia Badrawi, President of the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE) delivered a dynamic presentation during the fi rst Plenary Session where she spoke on the topic of “Globalizing Forces and National/Regional Goals”. Dr. Badrawi stated that globalization, through the prevalence of information communications technology, has resulted in the emergence of joint degrees, satellite campuses, global certifi cates and franchising, amongst other current trends. Th e participants noted that the fast growing QA services, such as institutional and programme accreditation, were increasing globally in tandem
with increasing trade education services. Dr. Badrawi reiterated that globalization will require review and revamp, even of the approaches used by External Quality Assurance Agencies (EQAAs) especially as these relate to cross border education and distance education/e-learning.
In terms of opportunities, Dr. David Woodhouse, Past President, INQAAHE in his Closing Remarks, stressed the need for EQAAs to undertake self evaluation by asking questions such as: How well have we done? Is it good enough? – By asking these questions, a sense of “fi tness for purpose” within the organization should emerge. In terms of hope for the future, Dr. Woodhouse emphasized that the concept of “fi tness for purpose” must be the guiding principle where institutions defi ne clear outcomes and report on them equally through an external quality assurance system. His word of caution for EQAAs was:
“Quality” is not what EQAs do! “Accountability for Quality”
is what both Insititutions and EQAs do!”
Th e Conference attracted over 300 participants from quality
assurance agencies and tertiary/higher educational institutions and related government Ministries worldwide.
Th e Caribbean was represented by aproximately ten (10) persons drawn from Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Papers were presented by Dr. Sandra Gift and Ms. Jacqueline Moniquette of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Dr. Ethley London and Dr. Angela Penny of the University Council of Jamaica, Mrs. Lorna Parkins of the Caribbean Accreditation Authority on Medicine and Other Health Professions, Dr. Louis Whittington of UWI; and Mr. Mervyn Extavour, President of the National Association of Technical, Tertiary and Professional Educators of Trinidad and Tobago and Treasurer of CANQATE.
From a cultural and social side, participants would have enjoyed the historical and modern sites and beautiful scenery that Madrid had to off er tourists. In addition, invited participants were treated to a dinner in the dining area of the famous Real Madrid “Santiago Bernabéu”football stadium which off ered a fantastic view of the colossal stadium.
10TH BIENNIAL INQAAHE CONFERENCEL INQAAHE CONFERENCE
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The 2011 annual Accredibase™ report into
diploma and accreditation mill activity has
revealed an stounding 48% increase worldwide in
the number of known diploma and accreditation
mills in the past year alone. As the Internet is
the primary home for these bogus education and
accreditation providers, little action is taken to stop
them from helping unscrupulous candidates deceive
unsuspecting employers. Th is year’s Accredibase™
report examines the current status of the diploma
mill situation and considers what can be done to
protect the public and businesses.
According to the 2011 report, the USA remains
the world’s fake college capital. Th is year has seen
a 20% increase in known diploma mills in the US,
with the number rising from 810 to 1,008. While
more than 40% percent of the diploma mills operate
in California, Hawaii, Washington and Florida, the
report reveals that District of Columbia has seen
the sharpest increase among US states with 74%,
rising from 19 to 33 mills over the past year.
Country Number % Change
Californa 147 10
Hawaii 98 4
Washington 91 5
Florida 84 47
Texas 68 28
New York 55 25
Arizona 44 57
+44 (0) 1234 834670www.accredibase.com | service@accredibase.com
Accredibase News
Accredibase Report 2011 Reveals 48% Increase In Fake Universities
Californa 147 10
Washington 91 5
Texas 68 28
Arizona 44 57
Country Number % Change
Louisiana 42 8
Delaware 37 42
District of
Columbia 33 74
United Kingdom 339 25
Italy 43 207
Belgium 36 33
Netherlands 34 13
Switzerland 21 31
Ireland 20 25
Germany 13 0
Spain 12 33
Austria 11 0
France 11 57
Th e UK remains Europe’s bogus university capital
with 57% percent of European diploma mills
claiming to operate from its shores.
Th is year has seen a 25% increase in known diploma
mills in the UK, with the number rising from 271 to
339, whilst in Europe as a whole the total number
has risen from 454 to 593, an increase of 31%.
Diploma mills are largely online entities whose
degrees are worthless due to the lack of valid
accreditation and recognition. Th e wide reach and
anonymity of the Internet off ers these operations
the perfect market to exploit, which is alarming not
just for prospective employers but for society as a
whole. ■ See the full report at www.accredibase.com
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Three Beijing-based education
companies are under
investigation aft er more than 100
company executives paid nearly
10 million yuan (US $1.5 million)
only to fi nd out their promised
Columbia International Institute
degree certifi cates were worthless,
the capital’s Haidian district
prosecutors announced Monday.
Eight suspects from three
education and training companies
were arrested on charges of illegal
operation in late May, according
to Zhou Zhicheng, a Haidian
district prosecutor investigating
the case.
Two suspects surnamed Yu and
Hu had founded the Bozhiruida
Technology and Education
Company in 2008, he said.
Without any qualifi cations the
company began to enroll students,
mostly corporate executives,
promising them business
degrees from a private institute
headquartered in New York, one
of the US’s so-called degree mills,
Zhou told the Global Times.
Th e degrees are not recognized
by either US or Chinese offi cial
educational accrediting bodies,
Zhou said.
“To get the degrees, students
needed to attend 12 lectures
within a year and hand in a thesis
in Beijing.”
Th e company later signed
cooperation agreements with two
other companies to bring in more
students.
Th e companies hired teachers
from top universities at a
minimum 10,000 yuan a lecture
to teach at changing venues,
Zhou said.
“We don’t have evidence to prove
the teachers were aware of the fact
that they were part of the illegal
operation,” he said, “but I believe,
only for myself, that they knew
exactly what they were doing.”
Executive victims had hailed
from Fortune 500 companies,
Zhou said, but insisted he must
protect their privacy.
Most victims were not really
so innocent, human resource
experts say. Th ey just wanted to
buy an easy business degree.
“It’s certain that most people
attending these classes knew
the certifi cate was fake,” Li Zhe,
a public relations executive
of British human resources
consultancy Antal International
in Beijing, told the Global Times
Monday.
“Anyone at their level would
have sensed it. Th ey just needed
the degree for comfort: Th ese
kinds of MBA degrees play a very
limited role in high-level talent
recruitment.”
Haidian People’s Procuratorate
had handled seven other fake
certifi cate cases involving
7,968,000 yuan from January to
May, Li Zizhou, an employee of
the publicity offi ce of the Haidian
People’s Procuratorate, told the
Global Times Monday.
Former Microsoft China chief
Tang Jun has been trapped in
fake degree scandal since last July
when Fang Zhouzi, known for
his fi ght against academic fraud,
revealed that Tang graduated
from a degree mill called the
Pacifi c Western University. ■
Source: Accredibase, July 2011
AROUND THE WORLD
BEIJING PROSECUTORS ARREST 8 IN FAKE BEIJING PROSECUTORS ARREST 8 IN FAKE DEGREE CERTIFICATE SCAMDEGREE CERTIFICATE SCAM
BEIJING PROSECUTORS ARREST 8 IN FAKE DEGREE CERTIFICATE SCAM
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Furthermore, Barbados can feel honoured to be one of the fi rst three countries in the Region to have a fully functioning accreditation body. From 2006 to 2010 the BAC has issued 725 Skills Certifi cates and verifi ed 1500 to 12 CARICOM states including Barbados. Th e Council’s mandate includes the: issuing of Certifi cates of Recognition of CARICOM Skills Qualifi cation, in accordance with the provisions of the Caribbean Community (Movement of Skilled Nationals) Act 2004, to eligible CARICOM nationals and the verifying of Certifi cates issued by other Member States to CARICOM nationals; building and sustaining of relations with regional and extra-regional a c c re d i t a t i on / re c o g n i t i on bodies; evaluating foreign-based qualifi cations to local awards; registering new and previously registered tertiary education providers and conducting technical workshops to facilitate the registration and accreditation process for tertiary educational providers.
Since 2006, the Council has set in motion a number of mechanisms to ensure that offi cers, institutional personnel and providers have on-going training in quality assurance processes. Technical and developmental workshops focusing on curriculum design and
Continued from page 8
CHAIRMAN’S WORDCHAIRMAN’S WORD
development, registration, quality indicators for programmatic and institutional accreditation, as well as workshops for evaluators and external reviewers have been constantly executed to ensure excellence in education and training. A CANQATE Core Group, established among providers, took on responsibility to assist in ‘creating a quality culture’, in tertiary education, in Barbados.
Th e Council has also established partnerships and membership with a number of national, regional and international agencies to assist in carrying out its mandate. Agencies including the Barbados Immigration Department, CSME Focal Point, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, the Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions (ACTI), the Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE), the Accreditation Council of Trinidad & Tobago (ACTT), the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ), the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP), the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and the National Recognition Information Centre for United Kingdom (UK-NARIC), assist the Council with the exchange of information and quality
assurance standards and practices from diff erent parts of the world.
Promotion and marketing within BAC, also plays a vital role in allowing the public to be part of this world-wide phenomenon. Th rough an ongoing promotion and marketing drive, the public is informed of the Council and its mandate, with promotion via various media, including advertorials in the print and electronic media. It also engages in public information sessions and career fairs with private and public sector agencies, institutions and providers to disseminate vital information. BAC has also established a website and works through other social networks in its eff ort to further sensitize the public on the importance of quality assurance systems.
Amidst fi nancial hardships, Barbados is committed to moving ahead to ensure that it sets up an enabling structure that provides numerous tools to shape, guide and assure quality education, training and skills development for its citizens. Accreditation of institutions is in progress and to assist stakeholders to further meet their needs, the BAC is embarking on a workshop in October 2011.
Furthermore, BAC has begun to investigate existing policies, procedures and systems for the
Continued on page 12
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On March 25, 2011 the BAC
continued its mandate
to assist tertiary education
providers with the registration
process, with the hosting of its
fourth Registration Workshop.
Th e workshop attracted 18
representatives from various
local educational providers. Th is
workshop included additional
material with the guides for
writing eff ective evaluative
reports being discussed. Th e
participants were given the
opportunity to write evaluative
statements, in a practical
component which allowed for
group work. Th e evaluative
report is a requirement for
registration.
Th e participants indicated the
following as the most important
information they learned during
the workshop:
How to prepare the
evaluative report
Examples as guidelines for
evaluative statements
Th e process of registration
Completion of Registration
(Writing of Evaluative
Reports)
Benefi ts of registration
Th e process of having
external evaluators every 3
years
How to write evaluative
statements using the
registration criteria
Tips on how the process of
acquiring health and fi re
certifi cates can be accelerated
Some of the benefi ts from
being registered
Help is available
Th e participants expressed their
gratitude for the informative and
free workshop in this present
economic climate.
Registration Workshop
This summer, BAC was pleased
to facilitate the 6-week
internship of Ms. Charlene
Prescod of the Samuel Jackman
Prescod Polytechnic. Ms.
Prescod successfully completed
the Certifi cate in Offi ce
Administration, and has since
started studies in the Diploma
in Offi ce Administration. She
is due to graduate in June, 2012.
We wish her every success in her
future endeavours.
Ms. Charlene Prescod M Ch l P d
Summer Intern
BAC launched its internal
newsletter BACyard in
January this year. Th e monthly
newsletter is circulated to the
Board of Directors and staff .
Th e contents consist of self
improvement and motivational
articles, highlights of BAC and
staff achievements, changes to any
BAC services, a calendar of the
following month’s events, jokes,
poems and tips on customer
service excellence.
Internal Newsletter
Launched
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BRANDED AS THE ‘BEST TRAINING PROGRAM EVER’ BY THE FACILITATORS, The Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE) successfully conducted the fi rst Peer Review/Evaluator training for the region. The workshop, held at the PomMarine Hotel from July 18 – 21, 2011, attracted sixteen (16) representatives from CANQATE member countries: Antigua, Barbados, Commonwealth of Dominica, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago. In her Welcome Remarks, Ms Valda Alleyne, President of CANQATE remarked, “Globally, higher or tertiary education as it is commonly called within the Caribbean is undergoing transformation as a result of globalization which has resulted in the liberalization of the sector and facilitated cross border education so that there are diverse providers and programmes of study.
that their commitment to quality is signalled through the implementation of internal quality assurance systems that meet standards/criteria established by external quality assurance agencies” as “citizens are becoming cautious about their investment in time, money and effort to attain higher level qualifi cations.” The President also urged the EQAAs to form strong partnerships with the tertiary/higher education educational providers.
“External Quality Assurance Agencies (EQAAs) are therefore being challenged to think “outside the box” by developing quality assurance frameworks that are robust enough to deter “diploma mills” and other unscrupulous providers from fraudulent practices; but conducive enough to encourage genuine investors in the provision of quality tertiary education.”
Ms Alleyne advised that institutions should “ensure
CANQATE BUILDS CAPACITY
IN PEER REVIEW TRAINING
One group deliberating during the break out session
A smaller group reviews the information given at the workshop
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workshop comprised multimedia presentations, focused discussions, simulations, and an intensive writing laboratory. In closing, the President outlined the next steps; and the participants were presented with their certifi cates in a short closing ceremony. Dr Francis Severin, Head, UWI Open Campus, Dominica delivered the Vote of Thanks.
It is anticipated that the competencies gained by the participants will be realized through the transfer of knowledge in their home countries and through the offer of skills in regional peer review activities.
President, Quality Assurance and Institutional Advancement of the University at Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). Dr Alleyne is a leading Quality Assurance (QA) practitioner who has worked throughout the CARICOM in quality assurance in higher education for over a decade.
Mr Stafford is currently the Manager, Institutional Advancement of UTT and is the former Manager, Institutional Advancement of ACTT. Mr Stafford has worked in the area of higher education quality assurance, institutional research, planning and policy development for the past six years.
The highly interactive training
Ms Valda Alleyne, President, CANQATE (fourth from right, sitting); Mr. Mervyn Extavour, Treasurer, CANQATE (second from left, standing); Dr. Ruby Alleyne, facilitator (second from left, sitting); Mr. Jason Stafford, co-facilitator (third from left, standing) and the workshop participants
Ms Alleyne continued to highlight the achievements of CANQATE over the past 2 years, which included the launch of the new website at www.canqate.org that allows for social interaction amongst members; the awarding of scholarships to the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) Conference which was held in Spain, April 2011; and the Peer Review Training Workshop.The workshop was developed and delivered by consultants Dr Ruby Alleyne and Mr Jason Stafford. Dr Alleyne was the founding Executive Director of the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) and is presently Vice-
Facilitator, Dr Ruby Alleyne taking the participants through the paces
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TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL PROVIDERS... you cannot afford to be without
ACCREDITATION
Prospective students are now choosing to attend and pursue ONLY
Accredited Institutions and Programmes of Study.
Apply for your
ACCREDITATION STATUSTODAY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTAC T:
Telephone: (246) 436-9094 | Email: info@bac.gov.bbwebsite: http://www.bac.gov.bb
Continued from page 8
development and implementation of a National Qualifi cations Framework (NQF) in Barbados. Th e NQF is part of a wider Human Resource Development Strategy for the country. Earlier eff orts to assist with quality assurance were organised through a project Management Committee which included a component for developing an Accreditation Equivalency Articulation (AEA) framework. Th e BAC’s Equivalency Committee has also been able to establish over 100 precedents. In terms of articulation/transfer of credits, Barbados has made notable progress, with some local tertiary institutions reaching agreements with regional and extra-regional institutions in various areas.
‘Buy in’ and ownership of a quality assurance system, in tertiary education, needs commitment, consistent planning, fi nancial and human resources, internal and external partnerships, and stakeholder involvement. Th is is a work
Remember the words of Peter Drucker
“Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it,
it is what the customer gets out of it”.
in progress for the BAC but Barbados is demonstrating that quality is possible, even when resources are limited. Barbados is therefore, prepared to take on the challenge by putting appropriate
CHAIRMAN’S CHAIRMAN’S
WORDWORD
measures in place so that, like some other smaller states, it can be a player in tertiary education and training in any part of the world.
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