Encouraging a culture of quality

THE UNIVERSITY Council of Jamaica (UCJ) celebrates its 12th Annual Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education Week during a time of immense change due to the emergence of new technologies, the movement of people, and increased competition to attract students between institutions and across borders.

The UCJ guides institutions along a trajectory of continuous improvement that leads to highly sought-after higher-education qualifications. These qualifications, coupled with the UCJ’s international reputation, assure the portability of degrees across borders. The UCJ recognises the diversity and creativity of the institutions that operate in Jamaica, and the need for a change in basic thinking regarding quality assurance. We intend to achieve this objective by encouraging a quality culture within each institution. The critical element underpinning a high demand degree is an effective Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) system.

The week of activities will assist the institutions in developing their IQA systems, and provide training for the UCJ’s assessors and staff.

BUILDING ALLIANCES

As the UCJ continues to build strategic alliances through its active participation in regional and international quality-assurance networks, there will also be a stronger focus on capacity building within the agency itself. This will include strengthening the UCJ’s processes and cementing our commitment to provide high quality services to all stakeholders. We look forward to seeing you at some of the events and we pledge to continue safeguarding the quality of higher education in Jamaica. DR CAROLYN HAYLE Chairman University Council of Jamaica