Designing a quality management system for a Cambodian university
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2010
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Quality assurance has been a legislative requirement in Cambodian universities since 2003,
yet it is still a relatively new concept. A formal quality-management framework at a systemic
level does not yet exist and little attention has been paid to this in the higher education sector.
This has led Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to make ad hoc decisions in dealing with
quality issues. Despite some institutions having appointed dedicated quality assurance
officers, there is little evidence of a quality management culture in Cambodian universities.
For these reasons, the creation of a formal quality management system is imperative in order
to ensure that universities conduct their operations effectively and can operate in a global
higher education context.
The study has documented and analysed the issues, structures and processes of quality
management in higher education in England, Australia and Thailand. This analysis has been
applied to the Cambodian context in order to develop a relevant quality management
framework for a particular Cambodian university (City University). This framework may also
serve as a model for other higher education institutions in Cambodia.
The study included an analysis of the extensive literature related to the quality management
systems currently employed in universities in England, Australia and Thailand. Senior
managers, academics and staff in three Thai universities and in higher education institutions
in Cambodia were surveyed and interviewed. This dual approach allowed the examination of
the benefits and disadvantages of applying the features of externally established quality
management systems to the Cambodian context.
Higher education institutions, in particular public universities, face many constraints and
challenges in Cambodia, including scarcity of resources, poor governance, lack of autonomy,
no culture of quality, poor human resource development and the like. These constraints
prevent a standard Western-style system from being introduced into Cambodia in the short
term. Nonetheless, it is imperative that Higher Education Institutions establish a formal and
non-punitive quality management system. Introduction of a quality management system in
two phases is recommended.
The first phase of the quality management system consists of simple, basic and general
elements of quality with a view to establishing a quality culture in every academic’s mindset,
and permeating the ideals of a quality management programme throughout the entire
university population. When a culture of quality management is well embedded, the next
phase could be implemented. This second phase introduces broader and higher level elements
of quality, such as benchmarking, student attributes and a national qualifications’ framework,
closely linking internal quality management systems and external regulatory requirements to
ensure consistency in the quality of graduates across the higher education sector, as well as
attaining national, regional and international recognition.
The quality management model proposed will be an important contributor to reshaping and
improving quality practices in higher education, as well as informing future key planners and
higher education policy makers about quality management in Cambodia.
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