Perceived government capacity and quality assurance effectiveness in higher education: evidence from Nangarhar, Afghanistan

Abstract

Quality assurance in higher education is not just a technical process of assessing standards in the contemporary education system, but a governance process linked to the impact of government capacity, policy implementation, and institutional coordination. In Afghanistan, despite the existence of formal policies, standards, and evaluations for quality assurance, there is still a significant gap between these mechanisms and the actual quality of higher education. This study aims to assess the role of government capacity and institutional coordination in the effectiveness of quality assurance in higher education institutions in Nangarhar province. The study was conducted based on a quantitative, descriptive-analytical, and cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 240 selected participants through an online questionnaire from August 2025 to April 2026, from which 149 valid responses were received. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS, descriptive statistics, and a chi-square (χ²) test. The findings show that awareness of the importance of quality assurance is high (Mean=4.02), but policy clarity, trust, human capacity, professional training, financial support, and information systems are weak. A significant relationship was found between human capacity and quality assurance effectiveness (χ²=9.47, p=.003). Also, high institutional coherence is associated with high quality assurance effectiveness. The study concludes that the main problem is not the lack of policy, but rather weak government capacity, implementation, and institutional coherence; therefore, quality assurance has largely taken the form of formal compliance rather than real reform.