THREE CORE FUNCTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

1. THE ROLE PLAYED BY THE LIBRARIES IN ASSURING AND PROMOTING QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

2. THREE CORE FUNCTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION • Higher Education Institutions have three core functions, namely: • Teaching and Learning • Research, and • Community Engagement • Libraries are integral part of the core functions of Higher Education Institutions.

3. THE THREE CORE FUNCTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS • Each of the three core functions of Higher Education Institutions is supposed to meet minimum standards in terms of quality of provision. • Minimum standards in terms of the quality of provision in Higher Education Institutions are crucial in determining the integrity of an Institution and the quality of graduates.

4. QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION • The main purpose of Quality Assurance and Promotion is in Higher Education Institutions is to maintain and apply academic and educational standards in the context of striving for excellence on continuous basis. • This requires evaluating inputs, processes and outputs against agreed upon set standards, with a view to improvement and best practice.

5. QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION • Quality Assurance in Higher Education Institutions is achieved both internally and externally. • Internally it is conducted by institutions through institutionally agreed upon and approved criteria. • Externally it is conducted by statutory bodies such as the Higher Education Quality Committee(HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education(CHE), Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA),etc. through external peers and experts.

6. QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION • Externally statutory bodies assure quality through the following: • Accreditation of new programmes • Review of existing programmes • Institutional Audits

7. THE LIBRARY AS PART OF THE KEY INDICATORS OF QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION • The library is one of the key indicators of the quality of provision for the core functions of Higher Education Institution. • The library should therefore meet the minimum standards of quality of provision as determined internally by institutions and externally by statutory bodies.

8. THE LIBRARY AS PART OF THE INDICTORS OF QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION • In order to meet the minimum standards of the quality of provision the library must have the following mechanisms in place: • Adequate academic support services (human, physical and financial resources) that sufficiently provide for the needs of the core business of Higher Education Institutions • Efficient structures, systems and procedures that facilitate interaction between academic provision and academic support.

9. MECHANISMS TO BE IN PLACE FOR THE LIBRARY TO MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS OF QUALITY OF PROVISION • Availability of relevant, properly maintained and regularly updated library resources to support the core business • Regular review of the effectiveness of library structures, systems, policies and procedures • Development opportunities for the library staff to enhance their expertise and keep abreast with the latest developments in the field

10. IMPLICATIONS OF THE QUALITY OF PROVISION BY THE LIBRARIES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION • Students success, throughput and graduation rates. • Research output in terms of publications and postgraduate research and supervision. • Community engagement projects • Capacity of the Institution • Integrity of the Institution

11. CONCLUSION • From the foregoing exposition it is evident that libraries serve as key academic support service functions to the core functions of Higher Education Institutions in terms of quality of provision and success. • Libraries should therefore be adequately resourced and their effectiveness be continuously monitored, evaluated and improved.