Mikheil Batiashvili: "Georgia's higher education system is becoming a part of the European Educational Area"
At the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Mikheil Batiashvili and Director of the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement Giorgi Vashakidze opened an event dedicated to the registration of the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) and discussed the significant outcomes that further rapprochement with the European educational space will bring to the country.
"The Georgian higher education system is becoming a part of the European educational space, which is of utmost importance for the country. We have practically completed the crucial stage of integrating higher education and science into the European Union. We have already received confirmation from a third organization that Georgian programs accredited by us will automatically be included in European Union databases. Every diploma issued within the framework of accredited programs already means that it is recognized in Europe. As we stated in Ikalto, our main strategy is integration into European spaces in the direction of higher education and science, which is virtually complete. Starting in the fall, all doors will be open for Georgian scientists and organizations, and they will be able to enjoy the benefits that the countries of the European Union enjoy," stated Mikheil Batiashvili during the presentation.
On June 27, 2019, the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement was registered in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR - The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education) (https://www.eqar.eu/register/agencies/agency/?id=59). The registration in EQAR was preceded by a positive evaluation by ENQA and the acquisition of full member status, which the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement achieved in April 2019.
EQAR is a public interest European organization jointly funded by European state governments and stakeholders, which supports transparency and the building of trust in the field of higher education, as well as the recognition of education in the European Higher Education Area.
The registration of the Center in EQAR means that the external quality assurance mechanisms, procedures, and standards implemented in Georgia comply with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG-2015). The evaluation reports conducted by the Center will be published in the relevant database maintained by EQAR (DEQAR), which will significantly contribute to enhancing the reputation and visibility of higher education institutions operating in Georgia on a European scale. Consequently, the interest of foreign students in studying in Georgia at authorized higher education institutions to obtain a European-quality higher education will increase.
The Center's ENQA membership and EQAR registration represent a major step forward in the development of the higher education quality assurance system in Georgia, as on the one hand, it serves as one of the indicators of the implementation of the Association Agreement signed between Georgia and the European Union, and on the other hand, it aligns with the European Union's "Modernisation Agenda for Higher Education" and the Bologna Process. Furthermore, the Center's membership in ENQA and EQAR further enhances the credibility of the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement both at the local and international levels.
In the coming years, the Center will actively work on fulfilling the recommendations developed by ENQA, which, together with ENQA and EQAR membership, will further promote the development of higher education quality assurance in the country.
