Rapid change and constant transformation are common themes today in higher education. The higher education sector is quickly expanding, and have become much more diversified. Within this context, the quality of institutions and their programmes are increasingly questioned. This has triggered the development of external quality assurance (EQA) mechanisms in higher education throughout the world. Governments are also engaged in the quality control of higher education institutions and/or their programmes through periodic external assessments using accreditation, quality audit or evaluation.  

The concept of quality assurance was introduced to Sri Lankan universities in 2001 by the Committee of Vice‐Chancellors and Directors (CVCD). This was followed by a handbook on academic procedures with several codes of good practice and the development of benchmark statements in several subjects.

Internal quality assurance units were set up in the universities on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the CVCD during 2004 – 2006, to carry out the university’s quality assurance activities and coordinate these with the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council (QAAC).

Quality assurance systems in higher education comprise two basic components: an internal component and an external component. Internal quality assurance refers to internal processes that an institution has developed in order to monitor and improve the quality of their students’ learning experience and ensure achievement of established goals, objectives and standards, whereas external quality assurance brings in a third party, to review the learning experience offered by an institution or a study. (Internal Quality Assurance Manual for Sri Lankan Universities, 2013. P-01)