The Higher Education Council (HEC) is set to strengthen its technical capacity through a new organisational structure that creates specialised teams for accreditation, quality enhancement, academic recognition, internationalisation, digitalisation and research.

The changes are contained in a new Prime Minister’s Order published in the Official Gazette on August 10, replacing HEC’s previous organisational structure adopted in 2020.

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"The implementation is currently at the staff recruitment stage,” HEC Director General Edward Kadozi told The New Times.

He said the restructuring is intended to equip HEC with the expertise needed to implement reforms as Rwanda’s higher education sector continues to expand.

"The structure is designed to support the ongoing policy reforms in higher education as the sector continues to expand. It will help us bring in high-calibre staff with the expertise and capacity to drive these reforms,” he said.

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The new departments:

The new structure establishes four main departments: Accreditation and Quality Enhancement in General Education, Accreditation and Quality Enhancement in Polytechnics, Academic Recognition and Internationalisation, and Digitalisation and Research.

The largest is the Accreditation and Quality Enhancement in General Education Department, which has 40 positions.

Under it will be the ‘Accreditation for General Education Division’ which will have staff covering disciplines including STEM, arts and humanities, social sciences, business and economics, education, health sciences, law, agriculture and veterinary studies, natural sciences, environment and conservation, and urbanisation.

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The structure also provides for an 11-position Accreditation and Quality Enhancement in the Polytechnics Department.

More focus on recognition of international qualifications

Recognition of international qualifications and internationalisation will be handled by a dedicated 16-position department comprising the Equivalence and Internationalisation, Collaboration and Student Welfare divisions.

The Equivalence Division will have specialists responsible for credential verification and equivalence, while the Internationalisation Division will cover areas including international scholarships for Rwandan students, support to international universities, bursaries and loans, and student welfare.

The new structure comes as HEC’s responsibilities extend beyond accreditation.

Under a separate Presidential Order governing the council, HEC is responsible for improving the quality and relevance of higher education, promoting research excellence and monitoring the performance of higher learning institutions.

It is also tasked with ensuring the accuracy of higher education data, coordinating bursaries and study loans for Rwandans studying abroad, and monitoring implementation of higher education policies.

Digitalisation and research

Digitalisation and research have also been given a dedicated department under the new structure.

The Digitalisation Division will include software developers, a business intelligence analyst, a systems administrator and developer, a network and information security specialist and an IT help desk officer.

Research and innovation will be handled by a separate division responsible for research and innovation in higher learning and research quality enhancement.

The structure also provides for an eight-position Administration and Finance Unit, headed by a director and supported by staff responsible for human resources, accounting, logistics, documentation and secretarial services.