72 of the IQF should not reduce institutional autonomy in higher education, instead it should strengthen
the institutional accountability.
8.2 Higher education institutions
8.2.1 Testamurs
The first to be done is that the testamurs awarded to graduates of qualifications that meet the IQF requirements must include an IQF logo which brands them as qualifications approved within the IQF.As
the IQF logo must apply to qualifications in all sectors, the development of the logo, rules for its use, and ongoing monitoring of its correct use should be a function of the proposed IQB. The higher education
IQF website could refer to the IQB website for this purpose.
Secondly, study programs and institutions approved against the QA arrangements for the IQF need to be identified as IQF-compliant on the database of higher education. Immediate action needs to be taken to
ensure that this database can serve as the IQF register. In the short term, this can be achieved by modifying the existing database to include a notation of the study programs and institutions that are
approved under the IQF.
In addition, a diploma supplement can be used to supplement the qualifications issued under the IQF. This document, given to graduates along with their testamurs, needs to explain the IQF, the nature of
qualification type awarded and the quality assurance arrangements applied to the study program and the institution. While it serves as an addition means of explaining the IQF, it cannot include the logo
which must be preserved for the testamurs only.
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8.2.2 Quality assurance network
The higher education sector should reform itself by introducing, developing, and strengthening the internal quality assurance toward a sustainable quality culture. In this context the government could
intervene by introducing funding schemes that encourage and support the internal quality assurance system. In addition, all institutions need to be subject to external assessment, including autonomous
universities.
For international credibility and public accountability, the autonomous public universities must adopt the national standards and processes in quality assurance as part of the minimum standards in their
internal quality assurance. Their internal arrangements should be subject to scrutiny by stakeholders through a requirement to publicly disclose their processes and reports on their outcomes. These
institutions should be encouraged to jointly establish their own quality network, with the objective to monitor and assist the quality assurance within these institutions. This network should be encouraged to
share its expertise with non-autonomous institutions by conducting training and providing technical assistance. A proposed terms of reference for this program is presented in Appendix-3 of this report.
8.2.3 Capacity building on RPL
