Regional conference explores reforms needed to meet technological advances and changing workforce demands..reports Africa Daily News Desk
Rwanda’s Minister of Education, Joseph Nsengimana, has called on higher education leaders across East Africa to move beyond discussions and translate quality assurance reforms into practical action as universities prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
Opening the 15th Annual East African Higher Education Quality Assurance Network Forum and Conference on Monday, Nsengimana said credible quality assurance systems were essential to maintaining trust in academic qualifications and ensuring higher education delivered meaningful outcomes.
“Quality assurance is not simply a bureaucratic requirement. It is how we ensure that higher education delivers on its promise and builds trust in qualifications across borders,” the minister said.
The forum has brought together higher education leaders, quality assurance experts, policymakers, academics and other stakeholders from across East Africa and beyond.
Held under the theme, “Transforming Quality Assurance for Future-Ready Higher Education Systems in East Africa,” the conference is focused on strengthening regional cooperation and adapting higher education to technological advances, changing labour-market demands and the aspirations of the region’s growing youth population.
Nsengimana urged participants to ensure the discussions resulted in concrete policy changes and institutional reforms.
“I encourage you to go beyond discussing transformation and commit to delivering it,” he said.
“The recommendations from this Forum must inform policy, institutional strategies and the everyday work of quality assurance across East Africa.”
The minister stressed that quality assurance must play a central role in preparing universities and other higher education institutions for future challenges, particularly as new technologies reshape the workplace and alter the skills required by employers.
The annual gathering provides a regional platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas on strengthening standards, improving accountability and ensuring qualifications are recognised and trusted across national borders.
Participants are also expected to explore ways of making East African higher education systems more responsive to emerging technologies and evolving economic needs.
The forum comes amid growing pressure on universities across the region to equip graduates with skills suited to increasingly competitive and technology-driven labour markets.
Nsengimana’s call for action placed particular emphasis on ensuring that recommendations emerging from the conference do not remain theoretical but are incorporated into government policy, university strategies and everyday quality assurance practices across East Africa.
