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Directorate Of Quality Assurance

Introduction

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed, charged all Nigerian Universities to strengthen their Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) mechanisms, by establishing a Directorate of Quality Assurance as a stand-alone unit, where possible. This charge, necessitated the Rivers State University Strategic Development Planning Committee (SDPC), to recommend in its Five- Year Strategic Development (2016-2021), the establishment of a system of Quality Assurance that would be vested with the responsibility of ensuring that standards are maintained in service delivery. Sequel to which, Professor Blessing Chimezie Didia, a former Vice Chancellor of the University, under the Office of the Vice Chancellor, established the Quality Assurance Directorate (QAD), in September, 2018.

The Inauguration was attended by Directors of Quality Assurance (DQA) from Nigerian Universities including Professor I.I. Kakulu. This marked the true beginning of Internal Quality Assurance in the Nigerian University System. Prof I. I. Kakulu was appointed as the pioneer Director in the RSU, on September, 3rd, 2018. She handed over handed over to Prof Eric Amadi in December 2020, who had been the Director, Quality Assurance till date.

Directorate Of Quality Assurance

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES   

 The Quality Assurance Directorate is established to ensure improved quality delivery. To achieve this noble idea, the unit is poised to the following: –

  1. Appoint of Departmental/Units Quality Assurance Officers
  2. Appoint Faculty Quality Assurance Coordinators
  3. Half-day briefing workshop for the quality assurance officers and coordinators
  4. Resuscitation of the Staff course evaluation forms for the 1stSemester Courses
  5. Monitoring of the regularity of Monthly Departmental Board meeting;
  6. Monitoring of Staff student advisory activities
  7. Monitoring of the distribution of grades across taught subjects
  8. Establishment of the RSU SERVICOM Unit.

STRUCTURE OF THE UNIT

The Quality Assurance Directorate (QAD) is a unit under the Vice-Chancellor’s office. The Director reports directly to the Vice-Chancellor. In accordance with the requirement of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. N. S. Okogbule on 16th July 2021 constituted the Rivers State University (RSU) Quality Assurance Committee with the following composition:

  1. Director of Quality Assurance – Chairman
  2. Representatives from Faculties (Senior Academics)
  • Director of Academic Planning;
  1. Representative of the Registrar;
  2. Representative of the Library;
  3. Representative of the Bursary;
  • Representative of Students’ Affairs;
  • Representative of Estate, Works and Transport;
  1. Representative of Health Services;
  2. Representative of SERVICOM (yet to be established)
  3. Director(Admin) as Secretary

ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE UNIT

In line with the approved pilot activities of the QAD, the under-listed activities were initiated and accomplished as follows:

  1.      Appointment of Departmental Quality Assurance Officers in all academic       departments by their HOD’s;
  2.     Internal Quality Assurance briefing workshop for the quality assurance officers held on Tuesday 22nd October 2019;

 

  1. Resuscitation of the student evaluation of Staff teaching effectiveness forms which were administered during the 1st Semester of the 2019/2020 Academic Session.
  2. Monitoring of the regularity of Monthly Departmental Board meetings and Quality Assurance briefing for Departmental Secretaries held on the 8th and 15th of August 2019;
  3. Monitoring of the regularity of Monthly Faculty Board meetings, harmonization of meeting dates to reduce clashes and interaction with faculty officers held on the 4th of April 2019.
  4. Monitoring of Staff student advisory activities and quality assurance briefing for Academic Advisers held on the 26th of November 2019.
  5. Analysis of the distribution of grades in over 1,800 subjects taught during the first semester of the 2018/2019 Academic Session and production of a University-wide performance report for internal quality control.
  6. Training for the university-wide deployment of Zoom for the conduct of Postgraduate Lectures during the Covid-19 pandemic
  7. Monitoring of the conduct of the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 Semester Examinations
  8. Establishment of the Rivers State University Quality Assurance Committee on 16thJuly 2021
  9. Quality Assurance briefing with Faculty Quality Assurance Representatives on 2ndJuly, 2021.
  10. The Director, Quality Assurance Directorate participated in the Quality Assurance in Research and Project Grants Proposals Writing Workshop in December 2020 organized by the Association of African Universities (Virtual), Ghana

 

  1. The Director Quality Assurance participated in the Capacity Building Workshop for NODAL Officer/Directors of Quality Assurance on “Building Skills for Effective Service Delivery” held between 22nd– 25thMarch, 2021 organized by Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund) Face to Face in Abuja.

 

  1. The Director, Quality Assurance Directorate participated in the Virtual Training Course on “Theory, Practice and Current Developments in Quality Assurance in Higher Education” held on May 31st, 2021 organized by National Universities Commission in partnership with the National Open Universities Commission of Nigeria under the auspices of the NUC Strategy Advisory Committee & the Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education (VICBHE), Abuja

 

  1. The Director, Quality Assurance Directorate participated in the Virtual Training Course in “Theory, Practice and Future Development in Accreditation in Higher Education” held from August 31stto October 11, 2021 organised by National Universities Commission (NUC) in partnership with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi-Africa) and the African  Quality Assurance  Network (Afri-QAN) under the auspices of the NUC Strategy Advisory Committee & the Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education (VICBHE), Abuja.

 

  1. The Director, Quality Assurance Directorate participated in the Virtual attendance of Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies Summit in Partnership with United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in Dubai held between 18thto 20thOctober, 2021.

 

  1. The System Analyst and Programmer, Ndu Chidi-Ebube attended a Workshop on Qualitative Research Methods, Statistical Analysis of Laboratory Quality data. These and Scientific Research Paper Writing on the 9 of August, 2021.

 

  1. Revived the Water Fountain
  2. Resuscitated the Generator.

OBJECTIVES OF THE UNIT

Professor lyenemi Ibimina Kakulu was appointed as the pioneer Director of Quality Assurance (DQA), on the 3rd of September 2018 with a singular mandate ‘To Establish Internal Quality Assurance Modalities for the Rivers State University’.

 The National Universities Commission (NUC) formally inaugurated the Nigerian Universities Quality Assurance Network (NUQAN) on the 11th of September 2018, with the main objective to reinforce the development, promotion, implementation and sustainability of quality assurance modalities in the Nigerian University System.

Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) consists of the process of planning, promotion, monitoring, evaluation and maintenance of quality within the University and by the University. The activities are guided by the functions of Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) as provided by the National Universities Commission (NUC)

The IQA administrative procedures and functions are not limited but include the following:

  1.   Ensuring the adequacy, maintenance and proper allocation of support structure and services.
  2.  Research sharing and networking with other institutions within Nigeria and abroad.
  3.   Monitoring the implementation of the University strategic development plan.
  4.   Developing the University’s Quality Assurance policy framework
  5. Coordinating Students’ Evaluation of staff teaching effectiveness and     programmes.
  6.   Encouraging self-assessment of teaching staff.
  7.   Coordinating internal assessment of programmes and programme delivery
  8.   Organizing seminars, workshops and conferences on quality assurance to create the culture of quality assurance in the system.

PROFILE OF CURRENT HEAD OF UNIT

The current Head of the Quality Assurance Directorate, is Engr Prof. Asinyetogha Hilkiah IGONI.

He is a professor of Farm Power and Machinery Engineering at the Rivers State University, where he has been teaching Agricultural and Environmental Engineering for over thirty-three years, and currently the Director of Quality Assurance of the University. He holds a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree (Second Class – Upper Division) in Agricultural Engineering obtained in 1989 from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, as it then was, Master of Science (MSc) in Farm Power and Machinery Engineering, 1991, from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Environmental Management, 2006, from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, specializing in Renewable/Alternative Energy Development.

Engr Prof. Igoni was a member of the 9th Governing Council of the Rivers State University, from 2006 to 2007. Between 2018 and 2021, he was the Acting Head of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, and acted as the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering in August, 2022. In November, 2022, he was nominated as a Senate Representative in the Joint Committee of Senate and Council on the Award of Honorary Degrees. He is currently the Chairman of the Faculty of Engineering Renewable/Alternative Energy Development Committee.

He is a certified engineer by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) of over twenty-five years’ experience; and has been a member of the Engineering Regulations Monitoring Committee of COREN, as a COREN Inspector since 2006. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers (NIAE), American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers and a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Environmental Engineers (NIEE).

NameRankArea Of SpecializationEmail
Prof Eric C. AmadiDirector Quality Assurance Directorate (QAD)Educational Management and Planningamadieric@ust.edu.ng
Amachree Mie-ldaala JonesDirector (Admin) Quality Assurance Directorate (QAD)Human Resource Management mieidadaala.amachree@yahoo.com
Didia Agnes UchennaAdmin Officer IIBusiness Administrationagnesdidia@gmail.com
Amadi Wike ChimAdmin Officer IIManagementchimprecious@gmail.com
Ndu ChidiebubeComputer AnalystComputer Sciencenduchidi@gmail.com
Amifor JoySenior Executive Officer (SEO)Managementjoyamiforjoyamifor@gmail.com
Tasie Rachael EruchiClerical OfficerBusiness Education (Management Option)tasieracheal@gmail.com
Sambo Uloma JoyAccountancy
Igwe JusticeMessengerNIL
Igwe Bestman AssetMessengerNilbestmanasset@gmail. com
Chukwu Joy ChizaramCorp MemberTechnology and Vocational Education (Agric. Science Option)Joychizaram88@gmail.com
Oluwayomi Kayode ElishaCorp MemberStatisticsOluwayomikayode6@ gmail.com

PROSPECTS OF THE UNIT  

Internal Quality Assurance involves a set of planned and systematic activities implemented to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality in education are being attained and to boost public confidence in the University. The prospects of value addition to the delivery of high standards and quality tertiary education, are very high. Some of the benefits the Rivers State University stands to gain of a strong Internal Quality Assurance system include:

  1. Timely, efficient and progressive performance of academic, administrative and financial tasks.
  2. Monitoring the relevance and quality of academic and research programmes.
  3. Equitable access to and affordability of academic programmes for various sections of society.
  4. Optimization and integration of modern methods of teaching and learning.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Establish of SERVICOM in the QAD, Capacity Building Programmes.