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National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority
(NAQAA)

UNEVOC Centre (National Body) since 2006

NAQAA was established by an ACT of Parliament in April 2015, repealing the National Training Authority (NTA) ACT and mandated to regulate national tertiary and higher education institutions in ensuring that their programmes (skills development, professional and academic) are responsive to individual, labour market and national imperatives. Thus, NAQAA replaces the NTA (whose mandate was limited to the regulation of TVET institutions) with a broader mandate.

Mission

Mission/Vision:

The mission of NAQAA is to assure continuous quality improvement and efficient performance of Gambian tertiary and higher education institutions in terms of their systems and programmes; promote quality professional assessment and improve harmonization and benchmarking of accreditation and quality assurance practices in these institutions to internationally recognized standards and to ensure qualifications are valued for employability through the establishment of a coherent national qualifications system that will contribute significantly to the social and economic development of the country.

The vision of NAQAA is to be a world class regulatory body that would deliver quality accreditation services with integrity and accountability, for the provision of a workforce that is competent, certified, innovative, and entrepreneurial and contributes to the continual development of The Gambia.

Objectives

The Objectives of NAQAA includes but not limited to, the provision bold leadership in the development and implementation of accreditation and quality assurance standards such that all partners can ensure effectiveness in the system to the advantage of the education sector; establish a viable and recognized national quality assurance and accreditation; establish a viable and recognized national quality assurance and accreditation system benchmark to international standards; ensure relevant, high quality tertiary and higher education programmes; ensure research capability and credibility to direct and steer policy, legislative and national debates on key human capital formation priorities and to impact on national planning processes; support continuous quality improvement to raise the level of confidence in the outcomes of tertiary and higher education; and enhance lifelong learning through establishing policy and criteria on assessment, promote credit-based curricula and transfer system, and recognition of prior learning.

Regular tasks

The regular task of the Authority includes:

- Monitor and oversee the quality assurance practices of tertiary and higher education institutions for continuous quality improvement

- register education and training providers, trainers and assessors in line with the National Qualifications Framework; Coordinate internships and apprenticeships;

- Coordinate the collection, organization and compilation of post-secondary educational data;

- Conduct educational researches to inform policy and decision making within the tertiary and higher education sector.

Focus and interest

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