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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 3
Publication Date: March 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/assrj.83.9855.
Ajila, C. O., & Ibukun, C. O. (2021). Quality Assurance and the Role of SERVICOM in Effective Service Delivery: A Case Study of Obafemi
Awolowo University, Nigeria. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(3) 344-351.
Quality Assurance and the Role of SERVICOM in Effective Service
Delivery: A Case Study of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Chris O. Ajila, Ph.D
Department of Psychology
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Cleopatra O. Ibukun, Ph.D
Department of Economics
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile – Ife, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
The paper succinctly looks at what quality assurance is. It further
examines factors militating against assurance of quality and factors
responsible for improving quality assurance. The second Section of the
paper addresses effective service delivery and qualities of a good
service provider. The third Section looks at SERVICOM and its role in
effective service delivery. Obafemi Awolowo University is used as a
Case Study. The paper concludes with recommendations for the
sustenance of standards in Obafemi Awolowo University.
Keynote: Quality Assurance, SERVICOM, Effective Service Delivery, Case
Study.
INTRODUCTION
The issue of quality and quality assurance have become the central themes for higher education in
many countries of the world, Nigeria inclusive. Quality in relation to educational institutions refers
to a measure of how good or how bad the services or products of higher institutions, particularly
university products are in terms of academic performance and meeting globally established
standards.
The Federal government through the Nigerian Universities Commission has put various measures
in place to ensure quality of the institutional programmes, knowledge generation, services and the
outputs of higher education institutions. The NUC is thus saddled with the responsibility of
achieving quality in university education through its accreditation of academic programmes.
Another step towards ensuring quality of its services and products in Obafemi Awolowo
University from inception in 1961 was the development of blueprints to guide the development of
the institution over a period of time. The first Strategic planning process produced 2004-2008
Strategic Plan. After a two-year interregnum, a Second Strategic Plan covering the period 2011-
2015 was produced. Both Plans enabled the University to take stock of its progress from inception,
enabled University management to determine the achievements and inadequacies of the
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Ajila, C. O., & Ibukun, C. O. (2021). Quality Assurance and the Role of SERVICOM in Effective Service Delivery: A Case Study of Obafemi Awolowo University,
Nigeria. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(3) 344-351.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.83.9855 345
institution vis-à-vis the original vision and offered opportunities for the design of new strategies
to meet the challenges of a complex and globalized world.
The 2016 – 2020 Strategic Plan is a continuation of development planning in the University. It
recognized the need to re-engender the entire University structure with a view to making the
institution continuously relevant in the 21st Century. Striving to achieve these goals at OAU
involved the University in setting its priorities clearly to all stakeholders. There were five main
thrusts of the Strategic Plan: Sustainable funding, Human Resources Development, Academic
Programmes, Maintenance of the University Estate and Enhancement of the University’s impact in
the nation and globally.
Quality in higher education is multi-dimensional and embraces all functions and activities of a
university including teaching, academic programmes, staffing (teaching and non-teaching),
students, research, physical facilities and infrastructure, services to the community and the
academic environment. It is a process-centred approach that ensures an organization is providing
the best possible products or services by figuring out the best ways to enhance and improve the
processes used to create a product or service. Meticulousness and attention to details are
important in every step of quality assurance.
WHAT IS QUALITY ASSURANCE
The concept of quality varies from that of providing a special service to conforming to standards
or to fitness for purpose. According to Okebukola (2010), quality assurance is an umbrella term
that embraces a spectrum of activities that are intended to improve the quality of inputs, process
and outputs of the higher education system.
It is defined as a procedure or sets of procedures intended to ensure that a product or service
meets specified requirement. Succinctly, it is a collective term for systems by which courses,
qualifications and institutions, which run them are monitored, to ensure the maintaining of fair
practices and standard (Mba and Ugwulashi, 2019). A quality assurance plan therefore should
include an organizational structure, details on each employee’s responsibilities and the
qualifications an employee needs to fulfill those responsibilities.
Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. They together constitute
the quality systems. While quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, quality
assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. Quality
assurance in the university system implies that ability of the institution to meet the expectations
of the users of manpower in respect to the quality of skills acquired by their outputs.
The raison d’etre of Quality Assurance is to ensure that the University’s Administration is
committed to effective and efficient service delivery and primarily to actualize quality system in
the University. The main purpose of Quality Assurance is to create in every staff and student a
high level of commitment to the vision, mission, values, core functions and the standards that can
put the university at the fore-front of academics.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 3, March-2021
FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST ASSURANCE OF QUALITY
i. High demand for Higher education and lack of quality teaching and non-teaching
staff- In recent times there has been a high demand for higher education in the country
resulting in a tremendous increase in students’ enrolment. To accommodate this, new
higher institutions have been established by both state and federal governments and the
private sector is not left out. As at May, 2019 Nigeria has 43 Federal Universities, 48 State
Universities and 79 private Universities making it a total of 170 universities in Nigeria
(NUC, 2019). These new institutions lack quality manpower, learning and infrastructural
facilities for quality curriculum delivery and research.
ii. Poor implementation of quality assurance policies- Every higher institution has
laudable objectives, policies and mechanisms for quality assurance, but the implementation
is a serious problem. Most teaching and non-teaching staff in our institutions of higher
learning is not committed to their duties and responsibilities and thereby making it
difficult to implement quality assurance policies.
iii. Poor infrastructural and learning facilities – The quality of infrastructural and learning
facilities available in any institutional of learning has great impact on the quality of its
output.
iv. Inadequate financial resources - The amount of money available to higher institutions in
the country for the procurement of quality instructional, learning and research facilities
and their maintenance is grossly inadequate. Thus with little money or inadequate finance,
the quality of education expected of higher institutions cannot be attained.
v. Frequent labour disputes and closure of universities.
vi. Brain drain and poor leadership.
FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPROVING QUALITY ASSURANCE
In order to improve quality assurance in Nigerian higher institutions, the following factors must
be taken into consideration: (Ogundipe, 2019; Mba & Ugwulashi, 2019).
i. Quality of Staff. The quality of both academic and non-teaching staff is a key to the
quality of the university.
ii. Accreditation exercise – This is the process by which programmes are evaluated
against set minimum academic standard.
iii. Benchmark for minimum academic standards – This forms the baseline for
entrenching quality since it prescribes a profile of curriculum, staffing, and physical
facilities. Tests and examinations shall be of good standard, quality and spread
relevant to the curriculum.
iv. Clear policy on students’ admission
v. Carrying capacity and admission quota – This is the maximum number of students
that the institution can sustain for qualitative education based on available human
and material resources.
According to the NUC,
A. Each discipline has approved Teacher to Student ratio.
(i) For Agriculture, Basic Medical Science, Engineering/Technology,
Environmental Arts, Education Science, Pharmacy, it is 1:15
(ii) For Administration, , Law and Social Sciences, it is 1:30.
(iii) For Medicine and Science, it is 1:10 and 1:20 respectively.