HEQC Communiqué on plans and activities for 2004

March 2004

Full Version (119Kb ~ 1 min)



The year 2004 presents a number of challenges for the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and for higher education institutions as far as quality issues are concerned. One major challenge is the implementation of the HEQC's new audit and accreditation systems in the latter part of 2004, which will place considerable demands on the HEQC and higher education institutions alike as far as human capacity, financial resources and time are concerned. Implementation will take place against the background of a number of unresolved systemic issues, including proposals under consideration for a new Academic Policy, a revised National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and a sustainable formula for HEQC funding. The HEQC is confident, however, that its planning and systems development as well as the knowledge and practical experience gained during the pilot audits and processes of programme accreditation and re-accreditation, provide a good foundation for discharging its quality assurance mandate.

This Communiqué is intended to inform higher education institutions and other stakeholders of recent developments in the HEQC's work, as well as its envisaged plans and activities for 2004.