THE HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY ASSURANCE FORUM

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(HEQAF) 11th – 14th SEPTEMBER 2024 CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

More than 46 universities both public & private were brought together by Prof Siyanda Makaula, (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) & Prof Luvuyo Lumkile Lalendhle, (University of South Africa/Universiteit van Suid-Afrika) in Cape Town, South Africa’s Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) from September 11-14, 2024. The 2 gentlemen deserve more and the GLOBAL QUALITY ASSURANCE ASSOCIATION salutes them. We all worked tirelessly together to make a difference in the Higher Education Sector Quality Assurance. South Africa’s Education Regulatory Bodies were fully represented by South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA), Council for Higher Education & UMALUSI while Dr Violet Makuku also represented the GLOBAL QUALITY ASSURANCE ASSOCIATION (GQAA), all the way from Ghana. Dr Makuku attended in her capacity as a guest and keynote speaker as well as a quality assurance specialist and consultant. 
Our deliberations were rich and real, with case studies & life experiences that were shared among us to learn, move on & transform ourselves and our institutions through quality assurance. We all agreed that building the QUALITY CULTURE through ROBUST QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS is the way to go!!! Dr Violet Makuku was excited by the way these 2 gentlemen transformed the GARMIN Quality Assurance Community to such a lively and highly valuable Higher Education Quality Assurance Forum (HEQAF). I was one of the GARMIN facilitators who was engaged in 2020 & 2021. I did everything online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic which couldn’t even stop them from pushing forward the agenda of quality education services, products & graduates, aside. Let us continue to move the agenda forward for continuous institutional improvement & transformation.
The Climax of the Higher Education Quality Assurance Forum (HEQAF) which was born out of the GARMIN QUALITY ASSURANCE COMMUNITY of South Africa, came on the programme on the 12th September, 2024. Lots of activities were lined up for that day starting in the morning with the usual educative sessions to the GALA Dinner in the evening. We had a wide variety and lots of music, different dances, speeches, signing of the HEQAF banner, food & fanfare. I was ambushed to give an improtu speech on behalf of the GLOBAL QUALITY ASSURANCE ASSOCIATION (GQAA) & the very 1st thing was to congratulate our very own new Prof Siyanda Makaula who was accompanied by his wife. It was a well deserved promotion for such a hard working person. We were all happy for him.

I knew that the next thing I had to do was emphasizing the need to implement what we shared & learnt as well as to work towards the quick growth & transformation of HEQAF which we constantly referred to as “our new born baby” from the GARMIN QUALITY ASSURANCE COMMUNITY of South Africa. People normally tell me that I have a very strong sense of humour but I didn’t believe it. Listening to the posted video clip & hearing the number of times that delegates laughed as I talked about my dearest subject matter – QUALITY ASSURANCE, I was convinced then that indeed I do have the sense of humour. The event was unique because we were to come in our traditional regalia. I had to pack my Kente dress from Ghana in preparation for the event.
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