The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality, thus the IPSA understands and values this very important responsibility in its daily running as a Private Higher Education Institution (PHEI). Accreditation and Quality Assurance helps determine if an institution meets or exceeds minimum standards of quality; helps students determine acceptable institutions for enrollment; assist institutions in determining acceptability of transfer credits; helps employers determine the validity of programs of study and whether a graduate is qualified; helps employers determine eligibility for employee tuition reimbursement programs; involves staff, faculty, students, graduates, and advisory boards in institutional evaluation and planning; creates goals for institutional self-improvement; it provides a self-regulatory alternative for state oversight functions.

The Quality Assurance and accreditation Office is thus important, together with the staff, in ensuring the “graduateness” of the students successfully exiting the college’s study programmes.

In this regard, the year 2018 witnessed the fourth cohort of the Bachelor of Arts Islamic Studies (BAIS) graduates, 14 students taking the stage to receive their BA degree, an attestation to their completion of the BAIS Programme that was accredited in 2013. At the same convocation held at the Center for the Book on March 16th, 20 students graduated with a Higher Certificate in Islamic Studies (HCIS). Both the BAIS and HCIS programmes are provisionally accredited awaiting the outcome of the college’s Conversion from Candidacy status to Full Registration application that was duly submitted and motivated for in April 2015.

The 20 HCIS students and 14 BAIS graduates data was submitted, together with the remaining students who did not complete or succeed in their programme of study, to the HEQCIS via the bi-annually required NRLD Edu.Dex upload that monitors tertiary students’ progress through university. The NLRD Data, as well as students throughput and success rates data, that remains a concern at IPSA due the varying socio-economic challenges our students who mostly come from the previously disadvantaged and currently impoverished backgrounds face, was included in the required Department of Higher Education

and Training Annual Report. As noted previously, during the college’s recruitment period the need for financial aid and support increases annually. It is positive seeing an increase in the number of applicants qualifying for entry into tertiary studies but challenging to meet the financial support required by the increased number of applicants who require such support. Approximately 70% of the new cohort of students requested and applied for financial aid which impacted on the final intake since IPSA does not receive government funding, and the private funding sector funds the college receives is unable to sustain that large percentage of need. The college funding department, however, exerts itself in sourcing and securing funding for the students. To ensure that our students have the best experience IPSA annually hosts staff development workshops that addresses areas of teaching and learning strategies, student assessment and procedures, as well as workshops on CHE and HEQC Level Descriptors Workshops focusing on meeting NQF requirements whilst incorporating a student-centered learning approach.

After duly fulfilling the Council on Higher Education, the Department of Higher Education and SAQA’s criteria IPSA added to its bouquet of existing programmes the Bachelor of Arts Honors in Islamic Studies Programme, after the BAHIS programme was officially accredited in December 2017. IPSA is very proud of this achievement, and is especially grateful for the support shown by international scholars such as Dr. Jasser Auda and Dr. Basma Auda and national scholars, activists and humanitarians such as Ebrahim Rasool for their contribution in making the BAHIS programme a reality, and for assisting in the formulation of the curriculum that is well aligned with the IPSA Undergraduate offerings. The BAHIS programme is designed to bring together Islamic and western, old and contemporary, traditional and critical scholarships - within a framework of shared values. Like the Undergraduate programmes offered at IPSA it takes into account the contemporary needs of Islamic practitioners, academics and researchers in the field, and the same thread and ethos found in our undergraduate offerings it follows is a hands-on learner centered modality in which there is an emphasis on contemporary application and very strong concentration on research. The college received many inquiries and applications for the BAHIS Programme, and commenced with its first batch of students successfully enrolled into the programme in June 2018.

The HCIS and BAIS programmes of the IPSA Undergraduate bouquet is scaffolded to serves as a steppingstone for entry into the BAHIS programme, that will ultimately focus on the development of the methodology, framework and research skills required for further post graduate study at Masters level based in IPSAs educational philosophy and approach which is one that is firmly rooted in Qurán, Hadith, and the rich history of almost fifteen hundred years of traditional scholarship.

In 2018, IPSA received the good news of the accreditation of its application of its Masters in Applied Islamic Studies [MAIT] programme. The programme had been accredited by the CHE and in the process of being listed with SAQA and registered with the DHET.

IPSA, as a growing Islamic Tertiary Institution is motivated to make its impact on the ever-growing Islamic Tertiary Education sector, by offering programmes that are uniquely designed to address the growing needs of the South African and world Muslim populace.