Overview of QA System

Since 2013 Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (MoESY) undertook a profound institutional reform in the higher education and scientific research of the Republic of Albania beginning with a scrutinizing process of lawfulness control. In December 2014, MoES signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Quality Assurance Agency of the United Kingdom (QAA-UK) aiming at quality review and quality certification of all HEIs operating nationwide, as well as capacity building of HEIs themselves and national institutions which review and assure quality in the higher education. Since then Agency of Quality Assurance in Higher Education (AQAHE) and QAA-UK started a successful cooperation and in February 2016 MoES and QAA-UK signed an Overall Project Contract for the provision of quality assurance expertise to support the external review of 35 HEIs in Albania.

As a first step, AQAHE has compiled the succeeding approach with the backing of QAA-UK taking into consideration the Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). The external institutional review of HEIs is being carried out during 2016-2017 in order to determine to what extent the Albanian HEIs meet the State Quality Standards, entered into force in 2011, upon which subsequently the accreditation decree will be based. The external institutional review is an evaluation process by exterior experts, selected and nominated by both AQAHE and QAA-UK. Final review reports will serve up not only for the institutional accreditation of HEIs, but also to enlighten the entire community, Albanian students, the Albanian Government how exactly HEIs satisfy the state standards. This review aims as well to embolden HEIs to perform better for the constantly increasing quality of academic offer and enhancing students’ teaching and studying conditions.

(Source: Eurydice, page updated 10 September 2021)