A Comparison of in University Governing Boards in Private and Public Universities

Abstract

Good governance is essential in aiding higher education institutions to improve quality and position themselves in the current context characterised by globalisation, internationalisation and economic challenges. In Zimbabwe, poor governance has been blamed for the increase in corrupt activities in many sectors including the higher education sector. Considering that many people believe that the governance of private higher education institutions is better than that of their public counterparts, this paper describes the results of a study that compared Governing Boards of private and public institutions in Zimbabwe in order to get insight into the beneficial aspects of private university governance and recommend the good practices. A cross-sectional qualitative research design was used. The target population consisted of all the six private and nine public universities in Zimbabwe. Four methods of data collection were used namely: documentary evidence; interviews; focus group discussions and observations. The findings revealed similar responsibilities and differences in selection criteria of Board members and levels of commitment, efficiency and effectiveness. The study recommends that Boards should have a clear focus, wider stakeholder representation and should exercise group authority and collective wisdom and not rubberstamp individual members’ views.