Quality in higher education institutions: between the challenges and threats of reality and future aspirations to overcome them

Abstract

This research focused on the quality of higher education institutions, in Libya in general and at Gharyan University in particular, to reveal the challenges and threats that hinder the implementation of total quality management in some university colleges. The colleges (Faculties of Arts Gharyan, Education Gharyan, and Health Sciences Gharyan) were chosen as the applied field for the study, as they are the colleges in which the researcher worked. The research problem was summarized in the following question: What is the nature of the challenges that hinder the application of total quality management at Gharyan University? 

The researcher relied on the descriptive analytical approach, which is based on collecting a quantity of important facts related to the topic and subjecting them to analysis. He also relied on analyzing the information, reports, and experiences of quality assurance and performance evaluation offices in colleges (while alive) available to the researcher.

The research community has been formed of a group of deans, vice deans for academic affairs, directors of quality assurance and performance evaluation offices, and heads of academic departments in the three colleges under study, totalling 34 individuals, to know and study their points of view and their aspirations for the future of their colleges through the application of ٨the comprehensive quality tool, due to their experience in the administrative and academic field. The researcher also used the questionnaire tool to collect the required data.

The research results concluded that the application of total quality management in higher education institutions has become an option that cannot be taken or abandoned; rather, it has become an urgent necessity and a means for survival and competition, especially in light of the successive variables and political, economic, social and cultural developments.

The research also recommends the necessity of working to provide a set of elements starting with convincing administrative leaders and implementing workers of the necessity of adopting and applying total quality management in all operations and working to train and test them according to correct scientific foundations and standards