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Spearheading quality-assured education

ESTER KAMATI





Well-seasoned in her field, Aina Nicodemus is an ISO 9001 certified auditor, a certified assessor, moderator and facilitator and the holder of a degree in education from the University of Namibia, where she majored in economics and business management.

She also recently bagged a postgraduate diploma in quality assurance in higher education from the University of Mauritius, where she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the same field.

“The knowledge I gained from this qualification positively contributed to my personal development as I learnt essential skills that are required in my line of work.” These skills include problem-solving and critical thinking as well as leadership skills, which are important in her line of work.

Being the accreditation, audit and assessment officer at the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) puts her at the forefront of quality assurance in higher education in the country, a process she deems critical.

“It interrogates the fitness of an institution to meeting its purpose and whether this purpose is aligned to the needs of the employment market and the country’s developmental aspirations,” she said.

Accreditation

Accreditation is defined as confirmation by the NQA that an institution has the capacity to provide specified courses and assess the performance of persons enrolled in such courses.

Accreditation provides students with assurance that the institutions they are studying at have the capacity to deliver courses at the appropriate standard and that their qualifications will likely be recognised by employers and other training providers.

Nicodemus’ job entails coordinating and providing support for the accreditation, auditing and assessment of training providers in line with the regulations for accreditation. Some key activities include conducting site visits to institutions of higher learning, liaising with subject matter experts who analyse the evidence provided by training providers during site visits and writing reports.

Her line of work requires integrity and impartiality in addition to the ability to remain calm under pressure. “It is also important to be a good validator of information and to be able to use evidence to differentiate between fact and fiction.”

Nicodemus enjoys validating information, which is a strict process based solely on evidence. “We only work with facts and evidence. If there’s no evidence, there’s nothing.”

Effective time management

Although no two days are ever the same, conducting presentations, compliance checking, interpretations of audited annual financial statements and conducting site visits form the basis of her tasks, depending on the departmental focus at the time.

With so much to do, effective time management is vital for her and she advises focusing on one task at a time and planning ahead.

“Focusing on one task enables me to effectively complete my tasks and do things right the first time.”

It is also easier for her to achieve goals by planning ahead and creating room for any last-minute changes.

An effective communicator, Nicodemus describes herself as a “strong proponent for accountability who believes that when people are held accountable, there is increased productivity and goals are achieved”.