QUALITY ASSURANCE PRACTICES: VERITABLE TOOLS FOR GOAL ACHIEVEMENT IN TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Quality Assurance (QA) as a lexicon in education industry is seen as a mechanism to ensure that the standard of education is maintained in terms of the inputs, processes and outputs. In an attempt to unravel its influence on goal achievement, this paper examined the quality assurance practices as veritable tools for goal achievement in tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria. In this paper, the concepts of quality and quality assurance, nature and purpose of QA practices, and quality assurance system and goal achievement in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions were x-rayed. Going by the significant influence quality assurance practices have on goal achievement in tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria, the paper made recommendations among which are that, the goal of the quality assurance system should be clearly stated, and expectations should be formulated in accordance with the tertiary educational institution plan, in order to build a national commitment to quality, to ensure that each student receives quality, relevant education, well-coordinated quality assurance system is required; and quality assurance systems must ensure that the entire system contributes to the country's social and economic development. As a result, higher educational institutions must ensure that fair and just admission policies are followed in order to promote equity of access and outcomes.