Educational - Ozean Publications

European Journal of Educational Studies 2(2), 2010in the development of QAAHE in Egypt generally and in the Department of Social Group Work, Faculty of Social Work inHelwan University in Egypt particularly is the research survey across 51 key experts and four depth semi structured face toface interviews with key experts from the Egyptian higher education sector. The levels of development are the knowledgebasedoutlook and view of individual staff towards investigating whether a UNOIQAAHE has the potential to systematise therelation between higher education, national and regional agencies for QAAHE and national, regional and internationaleconomies. The structure of the analysis will utilise a range complementary perspectives on QAAHE, examined through thiscase study designed to illuminate the development of current patterns for QAAHE in the Department of Social Group Work,Faculty of Social Work in Helwan University in Egypt. As a result, I will be assessing the nature and evidence of howQAAHE in the Department of Social Group Work, Faculty of Social Work in Helwan University in Egypt context currentlyoperates, with a view to investigate its realisation whether this context accept international QAAHE through an institutionalbody such as a UNOIQAAHE. This analysis will be qualitative and have up to eight dimensions starting with the individuallevel and ending with the international level. Analytical description of each level follows.Individual LevelHigher education reform strategy asserts the significance of professional and human development. Through Faculty-Leadership Development Project (FLDP), academic staffs attend workshops and take part in training sessions. “theprofessional development for academic staff is done through specialised programmes in the faculty…..the professionaldevelopment includes teaching and learning, research, management, community service and effective teaching viaprogrammes in professional development…..each academic staff has to be existed four days per week and offering help andassistance for students in terms of academic preparation”, expert M said. Through a research face to face survey over 51 keyexperts and four depth semi structured interviews from higher education sector and the National Authority for QualityAssurance and Accreditation in Education (NAQAAE), it has been indicated that:- The broader landscape of academic staff is divided into five categories including demonstrators, assistant lecturers,lecturers, assistant professors, and professors. The research survey indicated that the first two categories of thisclassification did not share in the processes of assuring and accrediting the quality of higher education. On thecontrary, the last three categories participated routinely and not effectively due to the connection between increasingthe salaries and the positive participation. “The Ministry of Higher Education started connecting the increase ofsalaries with the quality of performance for enhancing the learning process”, expert M added. One of the researchrespondents opposed the project entirely commenting that “it is not value for money……the government wants toattract the attention of the public eye that higher education is on the right track although they are not……themanagement of the project is not from faculties of education”, expert S said. 54 out of 55 asserted that QAAHE is aneffective mechanism in enhancing higher education, and that after obtaining national accreditation, there will be aneed for higher education institutions to obtaining the international accreditation. The staffs who are working withinthe project of QAAHE are more enthusiastic for succeeding the project and provided rich information more thanthose who are not working with it, and assured that they became more familiar with the main themes of QAAHE.This generates the need to expand participation and encourage effective cooperation among the academic staff onhow they can cooperate with the project of QAAHE. However, there are problems with the current situation relatedto the systematic structure of the system and the lack of experts. “The problems with the current operations are thatthe system of higher education in Egypt depends on faculties and not on departments…..you will need to havecapacity building because you are always in need for experts”, Expert S said.The administrative and working staffs in higher education are not included in the targeted group of professional development.This indicates a weakness point from one hand and a comparable point from the other hand. Illuminating the administrativeand the working staff with the requirements of QAAHE assists advancing the responses to the targeted requirements. Thecontexts of research case study show the absence of participation from the working staffs in the process of QAAHE. Thisdemonstrates the need for further development directed to address this point. Engaging the working staff in this process mightencourage them to behave in a way that go in parallel with its success, and familiarise them of the need for furtherimprovement. “Quality is the response to the needs of the market and its requirements”, expert I added.All the research respondents assured the need for internationalising QAAHE, and agreed on the desirability and feasibility ofestablishing a UNOIQAAHE within the systematic structure of the UN system as a multidimensional internationalorganisation for governing and operating IQAAHE. The vast majority 49 out of 55 asserted the need for selecting expertsfrom across the global for managing the suggested UNOIQAAHE based on qualitative factors including abilities andexpertise and not in quantitative factors like representations and numbers.Basic Unit LevelThe systematic structure of QAAHE starts from the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) in every institution passing by the QualityAssurance Centre (QAC) in each university. “There is a quality assurance unit in each faculty…..this unit works with all52