Georgian Diplomas & Qualifications to Be Recognized by EU

After the decision of the Presidium of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement of Georgia will become a member of the Association, which means that Georgian diplomas and qualifications will be recognized in the European Union states.

The agency reports that the ENQA Presidium made a decision on membership of Georgia on April 25 at the annual forum held in Estonia. According to them, only technical procedures remain and Georgia will officially become an ENQA member from autumn 2019.

The Georgian center officially announced in February 2018 that it was willing to join the ENQA and last August presented a self-assessment report to the organization.

The Head of the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement of Georgia, Giorgi Vashakidze, says this is a great achievement for the higher education system - a kind of recognition that the standards and procedures of education quality in Georgia today are relevant to the European standards.

“The Center's membership in the ENQA means increased confidence towards the higher education institutions operating in Georgia and means it can attract more foreign students, professors and teachers, and of course recognition of Georgian diplomas in Europe,” he explained.

Georgia’s Ministry of Education reports that in accordance with the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union, the country has taken the obligation to bring Georgia's higher education system closer to European standards.

The ministry says that the implementation of European mechanisms and standards for higher education quality in Georgia was especially important in this direction.

“This task has already been fulfilled and in Georgia today, harmonized authorization and accreditation standards and procedures exist with ESG-2015 standards and guidelines for quality of European Higher Education,” the statement reads.

The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, formerly the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, was established as an organization to represent quality assurance and accreditation for organizations from the European Higher Education Area and internationally.

The ENQA promotes European co-operation in the field of quality assurance in higher education and disseminates information and expertise among its members and towards stakeholders in order to develop and share good practice and to foster the European dimension of quality assurance.

Before being accepted or being re-confirmed as a member, an applicant agency must satisfy to the Board that it meets the criteria for membership: the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

By Thea Morrison

Image source: nairtejas.com