INTRODUCTION
The purpose of these standards is to ensure that a school has adequate and appropriate physical, library, educational, human and financial resources, and assessment and record-keeping systems in place to deliver high-quality programmes in pharmacy and meet its mission and goals and the accreditation standards.
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR FACILITIES AND RESOURCES
NOTE: THE INSTITUTION MUST PROVIDE THE SCHOOL WITH ADEQUATE FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL resources to enable it to meet the required professional programme responsibilities, to ensure programme stability and to ensure continuous quality improvement in teaching, research and community engagement. At least the following aspects must be provided for:
| 4.1.1 |
Physical facilities |
| (a) |
The physical facilities of the school must be adequate to achieve its stated mission and goals. |
| (b) |
Essential physical facilities must include offices for administrative and academic members of staff, teaching laboratories, research laboratories where applicable, lecture rooms, small classrooms, conference rooms and student amenities. |
| (c) |
The physical facilities must be adequately equipped, well maintained and provide a reasonably attractive environment for teaching and learning. |
| (d) |
The teaching facilities, including general and specialised laboratories, must be sufficient in number and adequate in size to accommodate the student body. Refer to Addendum 1 as an example for BPharm. |
| (e) |
Physical facilities, instrumentation and supplies must be adequate to support the research and scholarly activities of the school. |
| (f) |
Physical facilities must include: |
| (i) |
offices for academic staff, which must provide privacy for study, for counselling and advising students. Adequate facilities must be available for support staff, including offices for administrative staff |
| (ii) |
adequate storeroom facilities for housing of equipment and supplies |
| (iii) |
the necessary environment, including facilities for practice simulations, in order to provide students with practical and simulated pharmaceutical care experiences |
| (iv) |
teaching and research laboratories, lecture rooms, small classrooms, conference rooms, student amenities and programme support areas |
| (v) |
Adequate space for student activities, such as meeting rooms and study and relaxation areas. |
| 4.1.2 |
Education and information technology and communication resources |
| (a) |
The school must have, or must have access to, information and communication technology (ICT), including educational technology (ET), based on relevant instructional and learning theory to provide an excellent learning experience. |
| (b) |
The ICT/ET systems and processes must have the following characteristics and must: |
| (i) |
respond to varying student needs and expectations |
| (ii) |
support staff in transforming, improving and extending their practice (in general and in relation to new technologies) |
| (iii) |
encourage and enable innovative and effective teaching, learning and assessment procedures |
| (iv) |
recognise, encourage and exploit the synergies between teaching and learning and research with ICT. |
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR STAFF/HUMAN RESOURCES
| 4.1.3 |
Quantitative factors |
Quantitative factors must comply with established and recognised staff to student ratios in accordance with the school’s organogram. The minimum staff to student ratio for pharmaceutical sciences teaching must be aligned with the Department of Higher and Education Training (DHET) staffing norms for sciences.
| 4.1.4 |
Qualitative factors |
| • |
Qualitative factors must be used, including establishment, designation of requirements for and appointment procedures for specific posts, with a balance between technical, teaching and research staff. Teaching staff must have a qualification at least one NQF level above the level at which they are teaching. |
| • |
All posts must be linked to a job description. |
| • |
Staff performance reviews must be carried out in accordance with organisational policy. |
| 4.1.5 |
Staff responsible for and who participates in teaching and learning |
| • |
Teaching staff must receive appropriate training in aspects covered in section 5.1 and must receive ongoing training in appropriate teaching and learning theory and practice. |
| • |
Teaching staff must be actively involved in practice and/or research. |
All staff members must participate in regular self-evaluation, peer-evaluations and reviews.
| 4.1.7 |
Staff who are appointed to provide voluntary/volunteer service |
Staff that perform any of the acts listed in the scope of practice for a pharmacist must comply with Council’s document titled Criteria for temporary registration of foreign qualified pharmacists for voluntary/volunteer service (Addendum 2).
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR FINANCIAL RESOURCES
| (a) |
Financial resources of the school must be adequate to ensure that continuing operation and further development of the professional programmes in pharmacy are assured at an acceptable level, based on student enrollment and appropriate staffing levels. |
| (b) |
A budget must be available that provides for programmatic needs, including staff resources, materials and supplies, staff development and evaluation. The institution’s budget process applied to the school must be fair and recognise the specific needs of pharmaceutical education. |
| (c) |
The school must have input into the development and operation of a budget that is planned, developed, and managed in accordance with sound and accepted business practices. |
| (d) |
Financial resources must be deployed efficiently and effectively to: |
| (i) |
support all aspects of the mission, goals, and strategic plan |
| (ii) |
ensure stability in the delivery of programmes |
| (iii) |
allow effective faculty, administrator, and staff recruitment, retention, and development |
| (iv) |
maintain and improve physical facilities, equipment, and other educational and research resources |
| (v) |
enable innovation in education, interprofessional activities, research and other scholarly activities and practice. |
| (e) |
Student enrollment must be planned and managed in line with the institution’s enrollment plan. |
| (f) |
Resources obtained from external sources must be free of restrictions that may interfere with sound educational and ethical policies. |
| (g) |
Resources obtained from external sources must be used in a manner that maintains the integrity of and supports the mission of the school. |
| (h) |
The head must report to the institution, in a timely manner, budget cuts or other financial factors that could negatively affect the quality of the programmes or other aspects of the mission of the school. |
| (i) |
The school must ensure that funds are sufficient to maintain equivalent facilities across all programme pathways. The school’s initiatives must not adversely affect its administrative effectiveness, result in staff overload, or cause undue financial stress or instability. |
| (j) |
New methods of educational delivery should be cost effective. |
| (k) |
Financial considerations such as developing economies of scale must not overshadow the requirement to develop academically effective educational experiences. |
Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997
