The Importance of Academic Compliance and Quality Assurance in Higher Education

Academic Compliance and Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Safeguarding Integrity and Trust

By: Tlokotsi Potloane
Lerotholi Polytechnic
Email: tpotloane1967@gmail.com
Programme: BEng in Computer Engineering – Year 3

1. Introduction

In any academic institution, maintaining integrity, transparency, and adherence to educational standards is not just a regulatory necessity, but a societal obligation. When students are evaluated under inconsistent academic conditions — such as syllabus misalignment, selective leniency, concealed moderation procedures, and unequal awarding of marks — the consequences can extend fain r beyond the individual student.

These failures reflect systemic weaknesses that threaten:
  • The credibility of qualifications
  • The trust of government and funding stakeholders
  • Institutional reputation
  • Legal sustainability of academic programs

2. Regulatory Framework and Standards

Educational institutions are bound by national and institutional quality assurance regulations, such as:
  • The Council on Higher Education (CHE) Quality Assurance Framework
  • The Higher Education Qualifications Sub‑Framework (HEQSF)
  • Internal institutional academic policies and Programme Qualification Mix (PQM) compliance
These standards aim to:
  • Ensure fair, transparent, and consistent evaluation of students
  • Safeguard curriculum integrity and teaching hours
  • Promote accountability in teaching, assessment, and moderation
  • Preserve the value of academic qualifications locally and internationally
Failure to meet these obligations undermines student rights, jeopardizes accreditation, and erodes public trust in the institution.

3. Course Delivery and Timeframe Concerns

In the 2023/2024 Mathematics semester, roughly 50% of the syllabus was delivered within the official semester period but the examination demanded full course coverage. However, this matter was utterly neglected by the lecturers and the SET Department in general posing a narrative that envisioned targeted sabotage to me personally. This shortfall violated CHE guidelines that mandate full delivery of course content within the registered academic credit time frame. On provision of course credits, which lecturers refuted when I raised the matter, to my surprise. Obviously, leaving me gutted. 

Compromised delivery impacts:
  • Students’ preparedness for exams
  • Long-term skill development
  • Alignment with international standards
  • Financial stress to cover course expense accrued of the ignorant lecturers perspectives
Truncated teaching compromises the holistic intent of the curriculum and may breach legal educational obligations.

4. Irregular Awarding of Marks and Accreditation Risks

In 2024/2025, some students reportedly received extra marks to pass on the very same Mathematics which I was selectively sabotaged on the basis that I submitted my assessment answer sheet for remark while still awaiting feedback, I went on to write the exam of which I neither I qualified for resit or special exam, at worst. This left me devastated again, wondering if I'll be forever the black sheep of the SET department until when exactly. 

What transpired in the 2024/2025, should have also applied in my case but I felt targeted by the department just as they did previously in my Diploma certificate, being discriminated and sabotaged intentionally to break me, until the management, self intervened and did an investigation and I was rightfully awarded my certificate. While the intention may have been to assist such students who did not qualify for examination irrespective of the course content being delivered fully that time around, such informal, biased practices:
  • Create systemic loopholes in assessment integrity
  • Portray the institution as untrustworthy to external stakeholders
  • Put accreditation at risk if quality is only maintained on paper
Accreditation without practice opens the door for external moderation audits. Such audits, when they discover systemic failure, may result in:
  • Adverse effects on accreditation status
  • Legal actions from affected students or stakeholders
  • Loss of public funding and student enrollment

5. Concealed Moderation and Need for Transparency

Moderation is often conducted without informing students of:
  • Criteria used to pass or fail borderline cases
  • Whether external moderators reviewed assessments
  • Final marking procedures
Without transparent processes and proper documentation, students remain in the dark. This lack of transparency fosters distrust and exposes institutions to appeals and legal liability.

6. Financial Implications

Non-compliance in syllabus delivery and assessment results in serious financial consequences:
  • Students repeating courses unnecessarily incur extra tuition costs, fees, and living expenses
  • Governments and sponsors waste public funds paying for duplicated learning
  • Institutions risk loss of credibility, which can deter future student intake and financial support
These financial costs, combined with reputational damage, can weaken the entire higher education sector.

7. Accountability: Risks and Legal Actions

Lecturers or staff who undermine institutional policies by:
  • Awarding extra marks without moderation
  • Concealing moderation criteria
  • Failing to deliver full course content set in exams. 
… risk:
  • Job loss and disciplinary action under CHE and HR regulations
  • Legal suits for professional misconduct or negligence
  • Causing irreversible damage to institutional reputation
Similarly, students must also be held accountable for academic misconduct.

8. Mechanisms to Combat Institutional Compromise

To prevent systemic compromise, institutions must:
  • Establish clear internal auditing mechanisms for tests, assignments, and final exams
  • Maintain digital/physical records of scripts and moderation sheets for legal purposes
  • Ensure external moderation is practical, not just a paper exercise
  • Require all stakeholders (students, lecturers, management, external examiners) to sign and adhere to compliance pledges
  • Empower the institutional Quality Assurance (QA) committee to investigate allegations of non-compliance
This ensures that no lecturer or student compromises the integrity of the system.

9. Stakeholder Involvement and Oversight by CHE

The Council on Higher Education (CHE) must be directly involved when concerns arise. CHE should:
  • Audit syllabus coverage, assessment, and moderation processes
  • Demand annual compliance reports with independent verification
  • Serve as a neutral arbiter for student grievances
  • Engage external moderators to validate institutional quality
Involvement of all stakeholders — management, lecturers, students, QA committees, government, and CHE — is vital to closing loopholes and restoring trust.

10. Conclusion

Academic compliance is not a formality; it is a social, economic, and legal necessity. Non-compliance:
  • Undermines trust in higher education
  • Erodes student and government confidence
  • Creates legal liabilities for institutions
  • Jeopardizes accreditation and external funding
Institutions must revisit internal controls, regulators must enforce stricter oversight, and students must be protected by systems designed to educate and empower them.

11. References & Links

1. Council on Higher Education Lesotho. (2021). Quality Assurance Framework for Higher Education in Lesotho. https://che.org.ls

2. Council on Higher Education Lesotho. (2020). Programme Accreditation Manual. https://che.org.ls/downloads

3. Council on Higher Education Lesotho. (2019). Code of Conduct for Higher Education Institutions. 
https://che.org.ls

4. Council on Higher Education Lesotho. (2021). Student Grievance Procedures Guidelines.
https://che.org.ls

5. Council on Higher Education South Africa. (2013). Higher Education Qualifications Sub‑Framework (HEQSF). https://www.che.ac.za

6. UNESCO. (2005). Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross‑Border Higher Education. https://unesdoc.unesco.org

7. Southern African Development Community (SADC). (2011). SADC Qualifications Framework Handbook. https://www.sadc.int

8. Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). (2020). Academic Integrity Guidance Note. https://www.teqsa.gov.au

9. African Union. (2016). Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 2016–2025. 
https://edu-au.org/cesa





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