The imperatives for the establishment of quality assurance mechanisms, and the need to create a culture of quality within higher education have been well established in the various debates on quality which have intensified since the 1980s.

A profession has been defined as a community of workers whose practice requires a specific body of knowledge and competences acquired through specialized, professional training. Such a group operates within specific codes of behaviour guided by professional literature and legislation (Wise and Leibbrand, 1993; Jackson, 2010). Wise and Leibbrand have expressed the view that, like other professions, teachers learn a specific body of knowledge and develop skills over time through a coherent programme of study.