Education

Sunday July 27, 2008

Setting standards

By KAREN CHAPMAN

QUALITY assurance agencies in Asean have decided to adopt the Kuala Lumpur Declaration which aims to esablish an Asean Quality Assurance Network (AQAN).

Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Syed Ahmad Hussein said this was decided at the Asean quality assurance agencies’ round-table meeting held earlier this month.

Dr SYED AHMAD: It is not an easy task (to establish a network) as each country’s quality assurance systems and agencies are at different stages of development.

The objectives of the AQAN are to share best practices of quality assurance; develop an Asean quality assurance framework; collaborate on capacity building and facilitate the recognition of qualifications and cross-border mobility.

“These aims are something we have to achieve. Dr Syed Ahmad Hussein said.

He had co-chaired the meeting with Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED) director Prof Dr Supachai Yavaprabhas over two days early this month.

“On the first day of the meeting, each Asean country presented its quality assurance systems. We then discussed the similarities and differences for their respective systems,” he said.

He added that the second day was spent discussing the benefits of collaboration and sharing, and the crucial role of quality assurance in promoting harmonisation in higher education.

“We understand that it is also not an easy task (to establish a network) as each country’s quality assurance systems and agencies are at different stages of development,” said Dr Syed Ahmad.

For a start, he said, the countries could collaborate by recognising each other’s courses and credit transfers.

“Once we recognise each other’s qualifications, students in Malaysian universities can transfer credits and study in another Asean country,’’ he said.

In order to carry out these objectives, it was agreed that an annual round-table meeting of representatives of quality assurance agencies would be held; special meetings be convened when there was a need; a standing committee would be formed and its members to be determined at a later date, and the establishment of temporary and permanent secretariats.

The MQA, he added, has been appointed temporary secretariat for AQAN.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said in his opening speech at the meeting that it was important and viable to promote the idea of an Asean network.

“This is to cater for closer collaboration in higher education areas such as mobility, quality framework and capacity building,” he said.

It was important, he added, to have a system and higher education process which met the needs of people in the Asean region.

Mohamed Khaled said the demand for quality had gone beyond fulfilling minimum requirements but to exceeding them.

“We want to encourage Asean to form a network similar to the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, which was established on the premise of sharing experiences in quality assurance and enhancement.”

Many quality assurance agencies of the Asean member countries including Malaysia’s, are members of existing international networks and have benefited from such memberships, he added.

Having an Asean network, he said, was meant to complement and support these global bodies.

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