Stakeholders’ experiences of the implementation of the national qualification framework in Namibian public universities

Abstract

This research aimed at exploring the Namibian public universities stakeholders’ views on the implementation of the National Qualification Framework (NQF). Various related studies have confirmed that many higher educational institutions globally face challenges in implementing quality frameworks. However, there is less attention in the literature on how Namibian public universities are responding to the demands and challenges in implementing the National Qualification Framework. This research collected data on stakeholders’ experiences of the implementation of the NQF in Namibia. This research was done as a qualitative case study that investigated the two selected public universities, namely the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST). It employed threetechniques of data collection, namely: individual interviews, a focus group interview, and document analysis. In this study, the City University Quality Assurance Model assisted in advocating the question of factors that lead to the effective implementation of the quality assurance framework in higher education. Findings of this study revealed some participants having a narrow understanding of what the NQF really means, particularly participants from the categories of students. However, most of the participants, including Students Representative Committee (SRC) participants from the category of the student focus group discussion viewed NQF as a quality guide to academics, students, and anyone interested in quality education. However, some of the participants do not understand what NQF is all about. Lack of finance and political will, particularly from the state, are also some of the shortcomings facing public institutions causing ineffectiveness in implementing the National Qualifications Framework policy at Public Universities in Namibia.