Students encouraged to play an active role in QA and support at the university

The Richards Bay Office of the Unisa KwaZulu-Natal Region recently hosted a successful workshop as part of the Student Engagement in Quality Assurance and Student Support Project. This project is being rolled out in all the regions by the Department of Quality Assurance and Enhancement to inform students about issues related to quality assurance and enhancement at the university.

Students attending the workshop

The workshop was coordinated by Refiloe Tsephe, Acting Deputy Director: Sustainability, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Quality Specialist: Institutional Quality Assurance, Department of Quality Assurance and Enhancement, and her team. The workshop was held over two days on 31 October and 1 November 2024. About 20 students and members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) were addressed by quality assurance specialists and various departmental heads in the region.

Andile Ndlela, Acting Chairperson: KwaZulu-Natal Region RSRC, and Refiloe Tsephe, Acting Deputy Director: Sustainability, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Quality Specialist: Institutional Quality Assurance, Department of Quality Assurance and Enhancement

All units in the region were invited to the workshop and requested to prepare presentations on the services they render to students. The regional quality committees, through their chairpersons, were requested to make presentations on the impact of quality assurance and enhancement on students.

The workshop was aimed at encouraging students to reflect on quality matters, how the regions could involve students in quality assurance processes and how the student leadership could help ensure that students are not left out of the university’s quality assurance structures. Presentations were made by Student Administration, Library Services, Counselling, Technology-enhanced Learning Coordination (TELC), Facilitation of Learning and the regional quality committees.

The presentations were part of advocacy for student services offered in the regions. The regional quality committee chairs played a pivotal role in the workshop since the workshop was about the work done by the committees in the regions and how it affects service delivery to students. It was important that there should be a reflection on services in the regions to ensure that presentations with colleagues in other regions ensure that the product is reflective of the regional voice.

Prof Itumeleng Setlhodi, Director: Academic Quality Assurance and Enhancement, College of Education

Professor Itumeleng Setlhodi, Director: Academic Quality Assurance and Enhancement, College of Education, said that students should play an active role in quality matters since they are the primary stakeholders of the university who are directly affected by the quality of services delivered to them by the university. Setlhodi's presentation, entitled “To ensure that student engagement in quality assurance matters is genuine”, was well received by students.

Speaking on behalf of the Regional Director, Joyce Myeza, the Coordinator of the Richards Bay Service Centre, Mmbangiseni Mususumeli welcomed the attendees and said the university had made a good decision by taking workshops on quality assurance to Unisa offices that are far away from the big cities and towns to ensure the quality of services offered to students is improved and upgraded to the same level as that of services offered at Unisa's main campus.

Thembeka Ntuli-Mpapama, Chair of the Quality Committee: Gauteng Region, gave a resounding address on the purpose of the workshop when she took the audience through the historical context of student activism in South Africa, from the formation of the South African Students' Union (SASU), initially serving only white students' interests, to the emergence of the South African Students' Organisation (SASO), led by Steve Biko and centred on black consciousness and empowerment. She recalled the 1976 Soweto uprising, where students fiercely opposed Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, symbolising a fight for educational equality. Reflecting on 2015, she noted the #FeesMustFall movement, which emphasised students' demand for access, affordability, and equity in education, driven by many notable student leaders. She indicated that at the heart of all historical student protests and activism was a demand for better and quality education. She said the Student Engagement in Quality Assurance and Student Support Project was a continuation of these historical student struggles. She said the project was a sign of Unisa's dedication to amplifying students' voices in the core business of the university, which is teaching and learning.

Andile Ndlela, Acting Chairperson: KwaZulu-Natal Region Regional SRC, said he was happy that this workshop focused on engaging students and addressing their concerns and suggestions regarding the quality of education rendered by Unisa. He said that, overall, the workshop provided a platform that was conducive to open and honest dialogue between university officials and students. He was pleased that the university had taken the time and resources to present this face-to-face workshop. He thanked all the students who attended the workshop and actively participated in the discussions since their feedback is essential in improving the quality of the education offered by Unisa. He said the workshop was a valuable opportunity for students to voice their concerns and suggestions. “By fostering open communication and collaboration, we can work together to improve the quality of Unisa's education and ensure student success”, he said.

* By Siyabonga Seme, Manager: Communication, Unisa KwaZulu-Natal Region