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NAQAA validates its curriculum needs assessment report

Mar 10, 2020, 1:16 PM | Article By: Sanna Jallow

National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA ), last Thursday validated its 2020 Curriculum  Needs  Assessment which presents the finding of comprehensive  curriculum  ends assessment  for post-secondary education system, particularly  that of TVET in The Gambia.

The research was funded by UNESCO - within the framework of the UNESCO-KOLCA   project in The Gambia with an overall objective to contribute to the development of sustainable, affordable, accessible, relevant and quality Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET).

The project seeks to promote and support  and improve TVET  system in The Gambia to give young people a better chance of finding decent employment or to create self- employment and lifelong learning  opportunities  -  to acquire skills relevant  to laundry our market.

The study is to establish a strong empirical evidence to support policy makers and tertiary and higher education institutions in instituting curriculum reforms that will reflect the needs of the labour market on enhanced socio-economic development.

A review of the Authority’s reports emanating from its 2019 quality audit check of institutions indicated that there is no systemic approach to quality assurance as a result of lacking of functioning internal quality assurance structures in the institutions.

Gibril Jaw,  chief executive  officer,  said to realise this vision, tertiary and higher education institutions  should develop  their internal quality assurance  mechanism by putting in place the necessary quality  assessment tools and structures to facilitate effective delivery of educational programmes.

“NAQAA in collaboration with partners has developed effective external quality assurance instruments to guide the operationalisation of the functions of the Authority,” he said

He assured that NAQAA  will continue  to work and partner with MOHERST,  UNESCO and other relevant stakeholders  in uplifting  Gambia’s tertiary and higher  education system through the provision of high-quality teaching,  learning,  research and community service.

Ndeban  Joof,  deputy  project  coordinator of UNESCO -KOLCA  said the expected  outcome of the project is the relevance of the TVET system by improving the knowledge-based and capacity of TVET stakeholders to develop evidence based TVET  policies.

He said the project will strengthen the capacity of TVET institutions through enhanced curricula, teacher capacity development and training as well as upgrading infrastructure and equipment.