FAQ

Achievements of the Center, 2022

14 December 2022

                                           

To develop the quality of education, the following main activities were carried out by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement during 2022:
 

  • An important reform in the direction of early and pre-school care and education has begun, which implies the introduction of the authorization process in this area and the implementation of external quality assurance mechanisms.  Based on the relevant legislative changes, the implementation of the authorization process was delegated to the Center;
  • Initial registration of private and public institutions of early and pre-school care and education was started, for which an electronic registration system was prepared in cooperation with the education management information system and the registration process was started;
  • In order to create and maintain an authorization system for early childhood education institutions, this year, with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and in close cooperation with the relevant ministries and agencies, the draft was developed for the temporary rule and authorization standards for the authorization of the early education and/or preschool education institution, as well as the suspension and termination of the institution's authorization;
  • In the direction of ensuring the quality of general education, self-assessment was carried out for the first time in 2,070 public schools;
  • In order to essentially update the standards and procedures for the authorization of general education institutions, a draft of the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia on Amendments to Order №99/N of the Minister of Education and Science of October 10, 2010 "On the Approval of the Regulations and Fees for the Authorization of Educational Institutions" was prepared, which will enter into force at the beginning of the year in 2023;    
  • It should be noted that 146 persons were awarded the status of general education quality assurance specialist based on certification, and 331 subject experts of general education were selected according to different subject groups based on the competition of subject experts;
  • In accordance with the current standards of authorization of general education institutions, the administrative process of repeated authorization of up to 120 private general education institutions was carried out;
  • In the direction of ensuring the quality of vocational education, the administrative processes of authorization continued with updated standards and procedures. Total of 11 vocational education institutions passed re-authorization, and two new vocational education institutions were added to the system;
  • The number of places for vocational students has increased, both on long-term qualification programmes and on short-term training-retraining programmes. Access to vocational education increased, new implementation sites were added in the following municipalities - Chokhatauri, Shuakhevi, Khulo;
  • The number of institutions with the right to recognition of non-formal education has increased and by the end of 2022 there were 9 education institutions of this type, therefore, recognition of non-formal education is already available in 11 fields of study;
  • In order to bring the education quality assurance system of Georgia closer to European and international standards, the Center actively uses the best European experience of the quality assurance system of vocational education. In 2022, the quality assessment of vocational education was carried out using the indicators of the European Network (EQAVET), corresponding recommendations were prepared according to 5 indicators;
  • In order to develop the quality assurance system of higher education, a system of cluster accreditation of educational programmes and evaluation processes were introduced. The model of cluster accreditation system ensures the development of the quality assurance system of higher education and more harmonization of higher education with the unified European system;
  • The standards and procedures for the accreditation of higher education programmes were changed, and with the updated standards and procedures, pilot evaluations were conducted in 3 higher education institutions, in which international field experts were involved along with local experts;
  • In order to ensure the effective implementation of the cluster accreditation process, in the period of 2022, the attestation of the accreditation experts pool of the field of humanities was carried out. Besides, in order to update the experts pool, new competitions were announced and new local and international field experts, as well as students and employers, joined the accreditation experts pool;
  • Cluster accreditation of education programmes in the field of humanities is currently underway. By the end of 2022, about 200 educational programmes in the field of humanities will be evaluated with cluster accreditation procedures and standards. The educational programmes of all areas of higher education will gradually undergo cluster accreditation until 2028, accordingly, at the initiative of the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement, the list of the mentioned areas was approved and the relevant deadlines were determined;
  • The National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement has been granted the authority to carry out international evaluation of higher education institutions and educational programmes operating abroad. According to the changes made in the accreditation regulations, the procedures for the implementation of international evaluations were defined and the fees were established;
  • In order to fulfill the obligations in the field of education within the framework of the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union, it was planned to improve and develop the quality assurance mechanisms of PhD programmes and the scientific-research component. Accordingly, a quality assurance framework document for the evaluation of doctoral level educational programmes was developed;
  • Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes became obligatory. Accordingly, the mentioned change has led to the need to revise the authorization standards of higher education institutions. At the current stage, relevant activities have been initiated in order to refresh the authorization standards;
  • The Center signed a memorandum of cooperation with three quality assurance agencies. A mutual cooperation agreement was signed between the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement and the Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs (EPDAD). Also, the Center signed a memorandum with the Azerbaijan Education Quality Assurance Agency (TKTA), the purpose of which is mutual cooperation and sharing of information, experience and best practices in quality development of higher and vocational education. A memorandum was signed between the Center and the Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE), the purpose of which is mutual cooperation and sharing best practices in the development of the quality of higher education;
  • At the 27th General Assembly of the Standing International Conference of Inspectorates - SICI held in the Republic of Ireland, with the full consent of the members, the Center was elected as the 43rd member of the organization. SICI membership is an important step for the country in the direction of internationalization of general education;
  • Based on the application made to the ETF, Georgia was given the opportunity to host the European Training Foundation Forum. Holding an event of this scale in Georgia is important in terms of the development of vocational training/retraining in the country and is a step forward in the direction of deepening cooperation with the European Union, which will contribute to the improvement of the education system of Georgia and its approximation towards the European standards. At the mentioned event, the effectiveness of the training/retraining system in vocational education was evaluated by the representatives of the member countries of the European Training Foundation (ETF). Representatives of 20 ETF member countries participated in the assessment;
  • At the decision of the Governing Council of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), in 2023, the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement will host the annual international forum of ENQA members, in which the following will participate: heads of 55 quality assurance agencies from 32 European countries, the employees of the agencies, leaders and representatives of the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), the Association of European Universities, the European Student Association, and Bologna Process working group. Holding the ENQA Forum in Georgia is important in terms of the awareness of the country, development of higher education quality and internationalization; 
  • The Center signed a cooperation agreement with the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV). Within the framework of the partnership, the Estonian side will make a significant contribution to the development of the quality of general education in Georgia;
  • In 2022, representatives of the Center actively participated in the workshops of the thematic experts' panels of the Bologna Process; 
  • Besides, 12 sectoral benchmarks of higher education were approved, including within the framework of cluster accreditation of education programmes in the field of art, 9 sectoral benchmarks of higher education were developed in the arts field with the involvement of academic staff of higher education institutions, sectoral ministries, associations and sectoral unions, as well as representatives of the employment market. Sectoral benchmarks in the direction of management, conflictology and lexicography were approved. Two sectoral benchmarks of higher education were renewed: Medicine and language fluency;  
  • The updating of the sectoral benchmark of higher education in medicine was based on the international standards of medicine updated by the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) and on the thematic analysis prepared by the Center, which related to the trends and challenges of the development of medical education in Georgia;
  • The referencing/self-certification action plan of National Qualifications Framework was developed in accordance with the 10 reference criteria defined in Annex 3 to the Council of Europe Recommendation dated 22 May, 2017 on the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF-LLL);
  • Guide to the National Qualifications Framework was developed and published, which aims to familiarize stakeholders with the structure and content of the objectives of the National Qualifications Framework, understand and use it as an effective tool;
  • A customer satisfaction survey of the Center's services was carried out, which is conducted annually and serves to improve services and plan development activities. Also, a study was conducted to determine the satisfaction of the Center's employees and the compliance of the material-technical base and software. An analysis document of the Center's international cooperation was prepared, which covers the issues of the Center's international cooperation;
  • In order to evaluate the performance of employees, the "Rules for evaluating the performance of employees of the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement" was developed and approved by the order of the Director of the Center.  In connection with the assessment of the work process, with the support of the project - Public Administration Reform Support in Georgia - training was held for the heads of structural units of the Center;
  • An electronic system was created in the Center, the purpose of which is to manage the experts pools of the Center. In order to effectively serve the Center's users, a new system for booking a visit to the Center (booking.eqe.ge) was created, the booking window was placed on the Center's official website and is intended for individuals and legal entities using the Center's services.