V CENTRAL ASIAN INTERNATIONAL FORUM

04.10.2021

V CENTRAL ASIAN INTERNATIONAL FORUM "Higher Education Quality Assurance: Global Trends and Regional Aspects" dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) was held on October 1-2, 2021. The forum was held in the city of Nur-Sultan at the Astana IT University and gathered more than 600 participants in off-line and on-line formats. The International Forum was attended by Deputies of the Senate and Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, representatives of the Ministries of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, heads of international European networks for higher education quality assurance, foreign accreditation bodies, and international organisations in the field of education (Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, India, Latvia, Moldova), rectors of Kazakhstan’s and foreign universities, students and employers.

The Chairperson of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Maulen Ashimbayev addressed the Forum participants with a welcoming speech, noting the great contribution of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) in improving the quality of educational services and high world recognition.

The Plenary session was opened by Askhat Aimagambetov, the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noting that the sector of independent accreditation is organically functioning in Kazakhstan on the basis of international standards and ESG requirements, emphasizing the key role of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) in education quality assurance over a decade of active and creative performance.

Welcoming words addressed to the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) was delivered on behalf of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Alexey Tsoi, who noted the great contribution of IAAR to the improvement of medical education quality based on the international standards of WFME (World Federation for Medical Education).

The Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Yerbol Karashukeev noted that an important direction for increasing the status of agricultural education is the international accreditation of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR).

The Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aqtoty Raimqulova thanked IAAR for its great contribution to ensuring the quality of universities focused on arts and culture.

At the Plenary session, greetings were made by the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan

the Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic

the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Director of the National Accreditation Agency for Education, Federal State Budgetary Institution "Rosakkredagentstvo" and other ministries and departments, as well as heads of higher education institutions of the countries of Central Asia and Europe.

Of particular significance were the warm words of address and greetings of Karl Dittrich, the President of the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), who always attends and participates in IAAR Forums and activities.

President of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) – Prof. David Gordon sincerely congratulated the Agency on the anniversary date and noted its great role in the improvement of medical education quality.

Congratulatory address from the Director of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) Maria Kelo

Greetings were made by the Heads of International Networks: President of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE)

Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Quality Register (APQR)

President of International Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence (IREG)

President of the Association of Quality Assurance Agencies of the Islamic World (IQA)

as well as representatives of the national agencies of Turkey, Moldova, Latvia, Ukraine and Romania who noted the high achievements of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) over the years of its progressive development.

During the Forum, Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) and The Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (TKTA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in order to establish effective cooperation in the field of education quality assurance.

In 10 years of vigorous activity, the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) has gained special recognition in the global educational community and has become the leading accreditation agency of international scope.

IAAR International Forum provided an opportunity to exchange experiences on the improvement of the competitiveness of educational services, to discuss issues of effective interaction of higher educational institutions, employers, stakeholders based on the principle of balancing the interests of all participants in the educational process in the context of digital transformation, and most importantly, to define the ways of education quality improvement in Central Asian and European countries.