Linkages Between Total Quality Management and the Outcomes-based Approach in an Education Environment

South Africa has embarked on a process of education renewal by adopting outcomes-based education (OBE). This paper focuses on the linkages between total quality management (TQM) and the outcomes-based approach in an education context. Quality assurance in academic programmes in higher education in South Africa is, in some instances, based on the TQM model because of a strong focus on the employers of graduates. The development of performance standards and the identification of outcomes are highly relevant to quality management in educational systems. This is directly applicable to OBE, therefore, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the linkages between TQM and OBE in an educational environment. The challenge is to successfully align TQM principles with OBE principles so that quality in higher education provisioning could be assured. This comparison will illustrate that the implementation of OBE in an academic environment does contribute to quality improvement. The future of an economic system is directly tied to the ability of a nation to establish and maintain a high quality higher education system with a strong focus on quality teaching and learning.