Abstract:
This article proposes a framework to promote continuous quality
improvement in higher education by bringing performance management
and quality assurance together in a single approach. Blending the two
systems eliminates the challenges of a two system approach. The study
employed a quantitative methodology, with data collected by means of a
closed-ended questionnaire administered to academic and administrative
staff at four purposely selected public higher education institutions in
Zimbabwe’s four major ethnic regions. The questionnaire drew insights
from a framework developed by Silimperi et al. (2002) on essential
elements for developing quality assurance systems. Fourteen elements
were used to determine the possibility of blending the two systems. Of
these, nine had a mean score of 4.0, three above 3.5 and two had a mean
score of less than 3.5. These results indicate a high likelihood that the
systems can be blended.
