An evaluation of service quality and challenges faced by the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund
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Date
2020
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Service quality is the ability of the organization to meet or exceed customer expectations.
The late payment of loans to the Higher Tertiary Institutions (HTI's) in Namibia has been
a major concern to both students and parents for the past years. HTI's put students in
jeopardy when they are not allowed to write their examinations or receive their
examination results due to unpaid tuition fees. It is on this basis that the researcher
intended to evaluate the quality of service being offered by NSF AF from the viewpoint of
students and from NSF AF' s point of view as an institution. The objectives of the study
were: to evaluate the customer perceptions of service quality at NSF AF; to determine if
customers were satisfied with NSF AF service; to establish the service delivery challenges
faced by NSF AF and to identify possible strategies to improve service efficiency at
NSF AF. A mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative was used in order to gain
an understanding of underlying perceptions and opinions for staff members and
beneficiaries. This study was a combination of descriptive research and exploratory
research. A case study research design was adopted and primary data was collected using
researcher administered questionnaires from 127 students and 89 NSF AF staff members
who were randomly sampled. The study made use of both descriptive and inferential
statistics in drawing conclusions from the results. The study found that there was a
significant difference between the customers' perception of service quality at NSF AF and
service offered by NSFAF. In addition, the study concluded that the majority of students
were not satisfied with the service delivered by NSF AF. The study further revealed that
internal business processes, IT systems, recovery, policies and procedures were the main
internal challenges the fund was faced with. Furthermore, the study revealed that NSF AF
had the necessary resources to deliver effective and timely service to customers. The study
further concluded that government directives and the economic downturn were the main
external challenges that NSF AF was faced with. The study recommends that NSF AF
acquires proper IT systems, to train its staff members on customer care and service,
disburse student funds timely, improve communication and hire more employees in order
to improve and enhance service delivery
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Business Administration Management Strategy
Keywords
Service quality, Higher Tertiary Institutions, Namibia, University of Namibia, Customer expectations, Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund