The Committee on Education, Science and Innovation held hearings on the topic: "Year of accreditation of educational programs under the new procedure: results, problems, prospects". The hearings were attended by MPs - members of the Committee, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, higher education institutions, the Ukrainian Association of Student Self-Government, national experts on higher education reform and others.
The purpose of the hearings was to discuss current issues of
functioning and development of the quality assurance system of higher education
in Ukraine, outlined in the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education"
(2014). The issues of introduction of the accreditation system of educational
programs were discussed: identification of strengths and weaknesses, ways to
improve, as well as the role of external quality assurance processes in higher
education to strengthen the competitiveness of higher education in Ukraine.
Legislative changes in the activities of the National Agency for Quality
Assurance in Higher Education in order to improve the implementation of its
powers, as well as the regulation of the economic component of the
accreditation procedure were also discussed.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine answered the most frequently asked questions: What are the goals of accreditation? What to accredit? Who should accredit? Is there competition in the market of accreditation services? How to accredit (process and procedures)? Is the accreditation process transparent and unbureaucratic? Is there a corruption component and a conflict of interest in the accreditation process? Is the cost of accreditation services reasonable and unencumbered? What are the consequences of accreditation for the country's budget?
In turn, the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education provided the report on the year of its activity and also voiced proposals for changes to the calculation of the cost of accreditation and shared plans and voiced prospects.
The MPs - members of the Committee and representatives of the educational community also took part in the discussion of the issues.
Chairperson of the Committee Serhii Babak called on all participants to join the work on the Recommendations of the Committee hearings. Therefore, the Committee on Education, Science and Innovation is waiting for proposals within ten days.