Exploring Service Quality in Gambian Public Universities in the Dawn of Massification: Perceptions of Internal Authorities

Objective: The purpose of our study was to explore the perceptions of internal authorities of public universities in The Gambia—with a focus on the University of The Gambia (UTG)—on service quality amid massification and thereby elicit their recommendations. Method: This qualitative case study of service quality in public universities in the Gambia employed content analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews to ascertain categories. Results: The results showed an unfavorable view of the quality of all the factors observed—physical environment quality, core educational quality, and transformative quality. Despite efforts of the university administration to enhance the quality of education, the financial constraints posed by massification remain a hurdle. Conclusions: The results show that the hope of relocating UTG to the new university campus in Faraba-Bantang serves as the beacon of hope for the respondents. However, this relocation is only a relief regarding physical infrastructure. It does not offer solutions for the other quality aspects. Thus, a holistic solution is needed. Implications: The decreasing trend of government expenditure on education suggests that the government of The Gambia’s ambition to expand higher education (HE) is at the altar of quality. Hence the universities should expedite efforts to raise alternative financial sources to remain competitive.