I would like to raise a matter that I believe deserves serious reflection within the Commission’s responsibility for ensuring and maintaining quality in Tanzania’s universities.
Professor, as TCU continues to emphasize quality assurance in higher education, have you ever asked yourself whether quality assurance should also include the welfare, working conditions, motivation, and professional interests of the staff and officers who are responsible for safeguarding that quality?
I would particularly like to draw your attention to the situation of Examination Officers in universities.
Examination Officers occupy a very critical position in the university system. They are responsible for highly sensitive functions, including examination planning and coordination, administration and control of examinations, handling examination records, processing results, maintaining academic integrity, and ensuring that examination procedures comply with university regulations and quality standards.
However, if you undertake a serious assessment across universities, you may discover that the situation of many Examination Officers is not satisfactory. Their responsibilities are extremely demanding, often involving heavy workloads, tight deadlines, long working hours, high levels of accountability and considerable pressure. Yet, in many cases, their remuneration, allowances, staffing levels, workload, working conditions, professional recognition, and opportunities for professional development do not adequately reflect the importance and sensitivity of their responsibilities.
This therefore raises an important question:
When we talk about quality assurance in universities, are we assessing only the systems and procedures, or are we also asking whether the people responsible for operating and protecting those systems are adequately supported and motivated?
In my view, the quality of university education cannot be separated from the welfare and working conditions of the people responsible for delivering, administering, and safeguarding that quality.
I therefore respectfully urge TCU to consider undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the working conditions of Examination Officers across universities in Tanzania. Such an assessment could examine their workload, staffing ratios, remuneration and allowances, working hours, professional development, institutional recognition, career progression, and the challenges they face in performing their duties.
This is not merely an issue of employees seeking better personal benefits. It is fundamentally an issue of academic quality, institutional governance, accountability, efficiency, and the integrity of university examinations.
Professor, if TCU is genuinely committed to strengthening quality in higher education, I believe it is important to look beyond policies, facilities, programmes and compliance indicators and also examine the welfare of the people who make these systems work.
Quality is built by people. If we expect university staff to safeguard quality, those staff must themselves be valued, supported, adequately facilitated, and treated fairly.
I sincerely hope that TCU will give this matter the attention it deserves and consider conducting a national assessment or study on the working conditions and welfare of Examination Officers in Tanzanian universities.
Professor, as TCU continues to emphasize quality assurance in higher education, have you ever asked yourself whether quality assurance should also include the welfare, working conditions, motivation, and professional interests of the staff and officers who are responsible for safeguarding that quality?
I would particularly like to draw your attention to the situation of Examination Officers in universities.
Examination Officers occupy a very critical position in the university system. They are responsible for highly sensitive functions, including examination planning and coordination, administration and control of examinations, handling examination records, processing results, maintaining academic integrity, and ensuring that examination procedures comply with university regulations and quality standards.
However, if you undertake a serious assessment across universities, you may discover that the situation of many Examination Officers is not satisfactory. Their responsibilities are extremely demanding, often involving heavy workloads, tight deadlines, long working hours, high levels of accountability and considerable pressure. Yet, in many cases, their remuneration, allowances, staffing levels, workload, working conditions, professional recognition, and opportunities for professional development do not adequately reflect the importance and sensitivity of their responsibilities.
This therefore raises an important question:
When we talk about quality assurance in universities, are we assessing only the systems and procedures, or are we also asking whether the people responsible for operating and protecting those systems are adequately supported and motivated?
In my view, the quality of university education cannot be separated from the welfare and working conditions of the people responsible for delivering, administering, and safeguarding that quality.
I therefore respectfully urge TCU to consider undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the working conditions of Examination Officers across universities in Tanzania. Such an assessment could examine their workload, staffing ratios, remuneration and allowances, working hours, professional development, institutional recognition, career progression, and the challenges they face in performing their duties.
This is not merely an issue of employees seeking better personal benefits. It is fundamentally an issue of academic quality, institutional governance, accountability, efficiency, and the integrity of university examinations.
Professor, if TCU is genuinely committed to strengthening quality in higher education, I believe it is important to look beyond policies, facilities, programmes and compliance indicators and also examine the welfare of the people who make these systems work.
Quality is built by people. If we expect university staff to safeguard quality, those staff must themselves be valued, supported, adequately facilitated, and treated fairly.
I sincerely hope that TCU will give this matter the attention it deserves and consider conducting a national assessment or study on the working conditions and welfare of Examination Officers in Tanzanian universities.
