ABSTRACT

Higher Education (HE) systems worldwide are undergoing multifarious changes due to pressure engendered by the global need for the knowledge economy. The demand for knowledge economy has created two demands: the need for quality HE education and the high social demand for HE which has resulted in the rapid emergence of private universities (PRUs) the quest for quality education has long been the main foci in HE reforms evident in universities putting in place quality management systems for assessment of university performance. Extant research shows that in Tanzania, PRUs have long been facing quality challenges ranging from lack of adequate and qualified academics to frail quality assurance(QA) systems. Although the existing research on QA challenges in private higher education are numerous and informative, the question on how university leadership responds to quality management challenges and whether or not such initiatives are significant in lessening the challenges remains largely unknown. Therefore, this paper examines the leadership initiatives aimed to respond to QA challenges in Tanzania’s PRUs and on whether such initiatives are useful in addressing QA challenges. The paper contends that private universities need effective leadership and governance to overcome the existing quality challenges.

摘要

由于全球对知识经济的需求所产生的压力，全世界的高等教育 (HE) 系统正在经历各种各样的变化。知识经济的需求产生了两个需求：对高等教育质量的需求和社会对高等教育的高需求导致私立大学（PRU）的迅速兴起 长期以来，对素质教育的追求一直是高等教育改革的主要焦点在大学建立质量管理体系来评估大学绩效方面很明显。现有研究表明，在坦桑尼亚，PRU 长期以来一直面临质量挑战，从缺乏足够和合格的学者到脆弱的质量保证 (QA) 系统。尽管现有关于民办高等教育质量保证挑战的研究数量众多且内容丰富，关于大学领导如何应对质量管理挑战以及此类举措在减轻挑战方面是否具有重要意义的问题仍然未知。因此，本文研究了旨在应对坦桑尼亚 PRU 中 QA 挑战的领导举措，以及这些举措是否有助于应对 QA 挑战。该论文认为，私立大学需要有效的领导和治理来克服现有的质量挑战。