Rankings, UNESCO and Delegations
This issue of Quality International Newsletter showcases the remarkable work of CIQG members that has impacted nations and continents, thereby demanding that the world take notice. We invite you to learn about a higher education, quality assurance initiative that is ongoing in Nigeria, and is part of a larger effort to impact universities across the continent of Africa. We also offer you a sneak peak into CIQG’s involvement at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Higher Education Conference (WHEC), which took place May 18-20, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain. Finally, we report on meetings with higher education and quality assurance representatives from Cambodia and Malaysia. Enjoy!
Boosting Quality Through Ranking of Universities in Nigeria
Nigeria with 218 universities enrolling 2.6 million students, has the most expansive university system in Africa. External quality assurance is vested by law on the National Universities Commission (NUC) and some professional bodies. Established in 1962, NUC is the oldest national quality assurance agency in Africa. By 1992, it emerged one of the trailblazers in the establishment of minimum academic standards for all universities in the country....
In 2001, Nigeria, through the National Universities Commission (NUC), instituted a ranking mechanism that was aimed at fostering competition and stimulating quality (Okebukola, 2013). The experiment worked….
After the 2002 early lead by the Nigerian ranking system, global players entered the space. READ MORE
Peter Okebukola is Chairman, Nigeria National Universities Rankings Advisory Committee and Member. He is also a CIQG Advisory Council Member.
From the Desk of UNESCO'S Chief of Higher Education: WHEC2022
UNESCO’s World Conference on Higher Education is not exactly a ‘once in a generation’ event but it does come close, considering that it only happens once every decade. The first two incarnations (1998 and 2009) were defining moments of their time in the trajectory of higher education systems and their constituent institutions for the future of higher learning needs by, and for, all stakeholders – learners, teachers, researchers, institutional leaders, policy makers and crucially for the communities they serve.
The 3rd World Conference on Higher Education (WHEC2022), convened for the first time outside of UNESCO’s Headquarters (Paris, France) in Barcelona, Spain from 18-20 May, was in many respects a continuation of this tradition and scope: to set the agenda for HE in the coming decade and particularly in defining how the communities of higher education globally can rise to the challenges they face locally, nationally, and regionally in achieving the 2030 Agenda and the world’s commitment to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
READ MORE
Peter Wells is Chief, Higher Education, UNESCO and a CIGQ Advisory Council Member
Reflections on CIQG at The 2022 World Higher Education Conference
Hear from two CIQG members (Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić and Tariq Al-Sindi) as they reflect on their participation in the third World Higher Education Conference
Quality Assurance and Equity at the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference (WHEC2022)
In response to an invitation from the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)/CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG) facilitated a 90-minute roundtable at the Third Annual World Higher Education Conference (WHEC2022) that was held in Barcelona, Spain (May 18 – 20, 2022). The conference, designed to address ten themes, sought to,
“… bring together relevant stakeholders to define and prepare a roadmap for a new era of higher education …,” and, “to offer new knowledge, innovative ideas, creative alliances, and produce an enlarged and reinvigorated coalition of the global higher education community in favour of the 2030 Agenda for Development and beyond” (UNESCO 2022).
The CHEA/CIQG roundtable responded to theme 3, Inclusion in Higher Education – a timely response considering the group’s recent activities pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). More specifically, on May 3, 2022, CHEA published its “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement,” declaring that said statement “…guides its mission” (Council for Higher Education Accreditation, 2022). Moreover, an ad hoc research team from the CIQG Advisory Council recently conducted a survey that sought to explore how quality assurance agencies for higher education institutions across the globe understood and operationalized the concept of equity within the “norms” of ensuring quality.
It is within this context that this article provides discourse on the CHEA/CIQG presentation at WHEC2022 entitled, “Addressing Equity Processes with International Accrediting Organizations.” The May 18 session was moderated by CHEA president Cynthia Jackson-Hammond and brought together four CIQG members as panelists (Nadia Badrawi, President, Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE); Carolyn Campbell, Senior Consultant and Board Member, The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education; Michelle Claville, CHEA Vice President for Research and Policy Analysis, CHEA/CIQG Liaison; and Jamil Salmi, Global Tertiary Education Expert). After an overview by the moderator, the four panelists took turns presenting the methodology and the main findings of the 2022 survey carried out by CHEA/CIQG. READ MORE
CHEA Meets With Delegations from Cambodia and Malaysia
CHEA hosted two delegations from Southeast Asia in June of this year. On the 21st of the month, members of CHEA’s staff met at CHEA’s headquarters in Washington, DC with a delegation from Cambodia to discuss CHEA’s work in accreditation and quality assurance, as well as CHEA’s international activities. The meeting was part of a program on “Transforming Cambodia’s Tertiary Education” conducted by the Meridian International Center in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which brings leaders from around the world to meet with, learn from, and exchange views with various experts and professional peers in the States.
This in-person IVLP project was designed to introduce Cambodian participants to the U.S. public university education system, for the purpose of gaining a better understanding of the U.S. education system and examining how the academic and accreditation community works to address pressing issues for higher education and quality assurance.
Participating in the meeting from CHEA were Jan Friis, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs; Loretta Waldron, Vice President for Recognition Services; Michelle Claville, Vice President for Research and Policy Analysis, who also directs the CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG); and Jahan Culbreath, Director of Federal Relations.
Participants from Cambodia were:
- Mr. Peng HOR, Ph.D, Rector, National University of Management
- Mr. Tak KEA, Rector, Royal University of Phnom Penh
- Mr. Channa LUY, Ph.D, Rector, Royal University of Law and Economics(RULE)
- Mr. Bunlay NITH, Ph.D, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
- Mr. Vannaro PIN, Rector, University of Heng Samrin Tbong Khmum
- Mr. Vonthanak SAPHONN, Ph.D, Rector, University of Health Sciences
- Mr. Khan SETH, Ph.D, Rector, Chea Sim University of Kamchaymear
- Mr. Sovanna SIENG, Ph.D, Director, National Institute of Education
- Mr. Vathana THUN, Ph.D, President, Prek Leap National Institute of Agriculture
- Mr. Saravuth TUM, Rector, Svay Rieng University
The meeting focused on CHEA’s formation and its recognition of U.S. accrediting organizations, noting the difference between recognition by CHEA and the U.S. Department of Education and the roles that each play in quality assurance. The challenges posed for higher education and quality assurance by the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed by the CHEA representatives and members of the Cambodian delegation. The Cambodian delegation also expressed interest in CIQG and how it fosters dialogue and information exchange among its international members.
CHEA’s headquarters. The visitors, representing the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), were:
- Professor Dato’ Dr. Mohammad Shatar Sabran, Chief Executive Officer.
- Mohd Khairul Nizam Bin Ibrahim, Director, Accreditation Division (Social Science).
At that meeting, similar topics were covered with special emphasis on CHEA’s recognition of institutional and programmatic accreditors based in the United States. The Malaysian delegation also expressed interest in CIQG.
If your organization plans to be in Washington, DC and would like to meet with CHEA, please contact Michelle Claville at [email protected].
Announcement
From the University of Bahrain
The University of Bahrain is seeking to collaborate with universities to facilitate quality assurance practices, such as external moderation and program reviews, and benchmarking of policies and performance.
If you interested in supporting the stated initiative, please reach out to:
Dr. Luisella Balbis
Director | Quality Assurance and Accreditation Center | University of Bahrain
Tel: +973 1743 8088 | Fax: +973 1744 9658
E-mail: [email protected] | P.O. Box 32038 | Kingdom of Bahrain
www.uob.edu.bh
The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of
the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, its International Quality Group, its Board, or its members.
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