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Development of Education System

Notes Governments have a responsibility to society to ensure that what they 'buy' from higher
education is acceptable and provides value for money. Governments all over the world have
established agencies concerned with quality and efficiency in higher education.

8.3 Parameters of Quality in Education

What are the parameters of quality education? This question is only partly answered in the
UGC's document-Higher Education in India: Emerging Issues Related to Access, Inclusiveness
and Quality. Apart from that, a number of measures of quality encompass the ratios of
educational 'inputs' to the 'outputs' of (an institution) of higher education that qualify to be
used as the 'indicator' ratios. Another set of measures of quality concentrates on the quality of
inputs as well as that of outputs. Yet another set of measures of quality brings in the 'process'
through which inputs are transformed into outputs. It goes without saying that the institutions
of higher education are multi-output processing units. Some researchers on quality in higher
education stress on the inputs side, the others on the output side while yet others argue in
favour of concentration upon the process. The quality research international provides a right
material on definition and measurement of quality and performance in higher education. Some
abridged and suitably compiled views on these concepts are presented below.
Harvey and Green (1933) argued that there could be five discrete but interrelated ways of
thinking about quality. Harvey (1955) provides the following brief overview of the five
categories: (a) exceptional view of quality (b) Quality as perfection, (c) Quality as fitness for
purpose, (d) Quality as value for money, and (e) Quality as transformation.
The exceptional view of quality sees quality as something special. Traditionally, quality refers
to something distinctive and elitists, and, in educational terms is linked to notions of excellence,
'of high quality' unattainable by most.

Quality as perfection sees quality as a consistent or flawless outcome. In a sense it
'democratizes' the notion of quality and if consistency can be achieve then quality can
be attained by all.
Quality as fitness for purpose sees quality in terms of fulfilling a customer's requirements,
needs or desires. Theoretically, the customer specifies requirements. In education, fitness for
purpose is usually based on the ability of an institution to fulfill its mission or a proramme of
study to fulfill its aims.
Quality as fitness for purpose sees quality in terms of fulfilling a customer's requirements,
needs or desires. Theoretically, the customer specifies requirements. In education, fitness for
purpose is usually based on the ability of an institution to fulfill its mission or a proramme of
study to fulfill its aims.
Quality as value for money sees quality in terms of return on investment. If the same outcome
can be achieved at a lower cost, or better outcome can be achieved at the same cost, then the
'customer' has a quality product of service. The growing tendency for governments to require
accountability from higher education reflects a value-for-money approach. Increasingly students
require value-for money for the increasing cost to them of higher education.
Quality as transformation is a classic notion of quality that sees it in terms of change from one
state to another. In educational terms, transformation refers to the enhancement and
empowerment of students of the development of new knowledge.
Based on these five views of quality, various external review indicators, performance indicators,
quality statistics and benchmarks may be defined.
External review indicators: Operational variables referring to specific empirically measurable
characteristics of higher education institutions or programmes on which evidence can be collected

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