03.02.2014 change 03.02.2014

EC: quality checks in universities must be improved

European Union Member Stated should improve quality checks in universities so that education is more closely linked with the realities of the labour market, according to the reports of the European Commission (EC) on quality assurance in higher education and vocational training.

On 28 January 2014, the European Commission published two reports on quality assurance in higher education and vocational training. The reports highlight that despite the progress made by EU countries, they should introduce further reforms and improve quality checks in universities and vocational colleges.

Marta Angrocka-Krawczyk of the European Commission Representation in Poland reported in a release sent to PAP that the goal is education more closely linked with the realities of the labour market and the needs of society. Greater emphasis should also be placed on international cooperation, and a greater influence of students on decisions making ensured.

"Quality assurance is the basis for building trust in our education systems and we need to make greater use of its potential as a catalyst to modernise our universities and vocational education colleges. Our aim is to drive up standards in a way that encourages diversity and employability rather than uniformity" - said Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, quoted in the press release.

According to the EC report, ensuring the transparency of the quality assurance results is of great importance and these results should be publicly available and feed into strategic decision-making. Currently, only 40 percent higher education institutions in the EU countries regularly assesses the tools that support students in learning.

Although almost all universities offer help of consultants or trainers, only half of them check how well do these support tools work. According to the report about 85 percent students had the opportunity to assess the quality of education, however, in many higher education institutions, their participation remains limited to passive observation.

Authors of the report on higher education point out that one way to deal with the expanding student population in Europe, which has grown by more than 25% to 20 million since 2000, can be an effective use of ICT-based technologies.

Report on the European quality assurance in vocational education and training (EQAVET) points to the necessity of mutual trust between Member States with regard to qualifications obtained in various countries.

"This would help vocational students and workers to get their skills, competences and qualifications recognised abroad. Priority areas for further cooperation include improving the quality assurance of work-based learning, including apprenticeships, and defining and assessing learning outcomes" - reads the European Commission Representation in Poland release.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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