I am happy to write this foreword to the second edition of the University Guide by The New Vision. The foreword to the first edition was written by Prof. A.B.K Kasozi who gave an overview of the state of higher education in Uganda. In this piece I will say something specifically about Quality Assurance.

Quality in education is often defined as “fit for the purpose”. But there is no agreement on a precise definition of the term or the various components that constitute “quality”. The terms most used to describe quality include quality assurance, quality control, quality audit, quality assessment and academic standards Quality Assurance Framework components consist of:

(a) Institutional accreditation;

(b) Accreditation of individual programmes;

(c) Merit-based admissions into higher education institutions;

(d) Credit accumulation and transfer;

(e) The quality of teaching staff;

(f) Examination regulations and standardisation of academic awards;

(g) Students’ assessment of academic staff;

(h) Institutions infrastructure;

(i) Collaboration with professional bodies and

(j) Regulating cross-border higher education.