Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and
Accreditation Commission
(EVAC)
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
Policy Orientation
The quality of higher education, its responsiveness to the
needs of the age of globalization and information
technology, and the competitiveness of its institutions are
at the forefront of the concerns of policy-makers and
stakeholders Sudan.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
Higher Education in Perspective
The history of quality assurance in higher education in Sudan goes back to the
founding of the first institutions during the years of the first half of the past century,
most of which were affiliated to partner institutions in the United Kingdom. They
were subject to the same kind of quality control as were British institutions,
including external examiners and other aspects of their systems. However, it is
important to note here that despite the affiliation the institutions were enjoying
institutional autonomy and quality assurance was primarily the responsibility of
their governing bodies and faculty. This practice continued after the independence
of the country when affiliation came to end.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
A number of higher institutes and colleges were founded after the independence of
the country with two more universities and few colleges in the 1970s. The country
witnessed during the years of the 1970s, for the first time, the creation of central
bodies to be in charge of the higher education sub-sector.
The decade of the 1990s and the early years of the new millennium witnessed a
remarkable expansion in higher education in Sudan. ( from17 institutions “6
universities and 11 institutes” in 1990 to 105 “39 universities and 66 colleges” in
2009; enrollment grew from about 25,000 to over half a million during the same
period). This remarkable expansion in the sub-sector and rapid growth in
enrollment amidst inadequacy of financial capacity the need for review and a new
policy orientation has become imperative.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
With the challenges of globalization, the unprecedented advances in
ICT, proliferation of private universities and colleges and emerging
new forms of delivery (open, virtual and e-learning), policy-makers
are becoming more conscious than ever of the need to improve the
quality of higher education, reassure the public about the quality of
public and private providers and the importance of ensuring the
universities and colleges in the country conform with the
international standards in their conduct.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
EVAC
The need for quality higher education and effective quality assurance
mechanisms led to the establishment of a national quality agency in
Sudan in 2003, the Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC).
It was founded by a ministerial decree in the year 2003 as a
coordinating technical organ within the frame of the Ministry of
Higher Education & Scientific Research.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
Vision
EVAC intends to excel as premier pioneer commission, leader and
driver
of quality assurance project in higher education in Sudan,
following a systematic, fair and transparent approach and adopting
robust quality assurance system. It strives to be one among the
commissions renowned in its chosen field of endeavor, nationally,
regionally and internationally.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
Mission
Assuring that higher education institutions are performing their
tripartite functions (teaching, research and community service)
effectively, efficiently, and with high quality producing knowledge and
necessary skills for sustainable development in the country and excel
as regional and international recognized institutions distinguished by
quality provision.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
Goals and Objectives
-
Establishing stakeholder confidence that higher education in
Sudan fulfils expectations or measures up to minimum
requirements.
- Developing an excel quality framework and delivering effective
quality-enhancing processes for institutions at the 3rd level of
education Objective
- Disseminating the culture of quality across higher education
community and enhances its rhetoric among stakeholders and
society at large.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Developing the necessary mechanisms and coordinate processes and activities
needed for ensuring that higher education institutions are fulfilling their purposes
as well as the standards that apply to higher education (institutional/program)
- Assist higher education institutions in conducting institutional/program evaluation
exercises before accreditation.
- Assist higher education institutions in the process of implementing the
institutional evaluation project and help them in developing necessary institutional
mechanisms sustained by a sound quality culture.
- Enhancing human capacity in universities and colleges (train reviewers)
- Seek external assistance for enhancing HEIs capacities in quality assurance
processes (self-evaluation, peer-reviewing etc,..)
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
EVAC Activities (2003-2009)
- Dissemination of culture of quality across higher education institutions in the
country (literature on QA in different forms of publications)
- Organizing events such as seminars and workshops on QA related issues.
- Training and capacity enhancement for HEIs staff (see following slide)
- Developed the National Standards Guide for QA in Higher Education in Sudan
- Assisting HEIs establishing their QA units (see following slide)
- Maintaining up-to-date literature and information on quality assurance, standards
and benchmarks
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
- Developed an up-to-date comprehensive QA analytic glossary.
- Participated in national, regional and international events on QA including:
- The annual conference of Asian-Pacific Network for QA (Malaysia)
- General Conference of UNESCO (Paris)
- Regional Meeting of Arab Countries on Joint Work on QA (Dubai)
- Meeting of Expatriates pre to the 11th Conference of Ministers of
Higher Education in Arab Countries
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
- General Conference of UNESCO (Paris 2009)
- ANQAHE workshop (Damascus 2009)
- ANQAHE and DAAD workshop (Cairo 2009)
- Creating and developing regional and international links
- Member of Global university Network for Innovation (GUNI Barcelona)/
- UNESCO chair of higher education
- Member of the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education
(ANQAHE)
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
Training and capacity enhancement
- Assisting universities and colleges in establishing their QA units (61 units)
(functioning)
- EVAC organized 13 training workshops in different HEIs.
- Over 500 of HEIs participated in these 13 training workshops
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
-The Training Package meant to equip participants with QA necessary skills
- definitions and meanings of QA concepts and terminologies
- thorough understanding of basic elements of mechanisms’ procedures
of evaluation and its field and standards
- conceptualizing and understanding the purposes of QA systems and
the role QA play improving the performance and conduct of HEIs
- Understanding the basic concepts behind terms such as standards,
indicators, benchmarks, audits etc, ..
- develop the necessary skills in QA implementation processes
- coping with international trends in QA movement
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
Institutional Evaluation (IE) Project
The process of IE is believed to be the most valuable aspect of quality assurance
reviews because:
- It helps institutions to identify
their own strengths and weaknesses, while
generating awareness of key performance indicators
- It helps institutions to build capacity from within (capacity-building function)
- It is the backbone for a viable quality assurance system
-Has positive effects on the culture of quality within an institution
- It fosters social cohesion and teamwork among staff
- It enhances staff accountability of the results of the process
- It empowers institutions and their staff to take charge of the quality of their
performance
- It is a preparation for accreditation
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
National Standards Guide
- The National Standards for QA in Higher Education in Sudan have been the
subject of extensive work of EVAC for the current and last three years. The
standards have been
- developed through considerable consultative process. The Standards developed
include the following:
- The Institutional Frame (vision, mission, goals & purposes, strategies)
- Governance
and
Management/Administration
(leadership,
councils
and
committees, Systems, legislations and administrative regulations, graduates,
administration of university services)
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
- Financial Resources (vertical financial administration/management, financial
planning, auditing and risks assessment)
- Physical/Infrastructure Structures ( sites, spaces, buildings)
- Human Resources ( teaching staff, assistant teaching staff, technicians,
administrators and rest of personnel)
- Students Affairs (administration of student affairs and their services)
- Learning Resources (programs, curricula, libraries, laboratories etc, ..)
- Research (administration of research, graduate studies, research laboratories)
- Community Service Administration
- Quality Assurance Administration
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (EVAC)
Constraints/needs
- Weak Human Capacity:
-Training for staff in HEIs (evaluation, reviews, audits, accreditation)
-Training for staff in HEIs QA Units and EVAC ( system
- conceptualization, methodologies, QA processes implementation)
- Limited Funding:
-Adopt stepwise Approach (institutional evaluation- program evaluationthen accreditation)
-Regional collaboration and contribution of donor community
- Quality Enhancement Fund