Azerbaijan becomes affiliate of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education ENQA

The Board of Directors of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) has approved the request of the Accreditation and Nostrification Office of the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan to become an affiliate of ENQA.

In 2005 the Azerbaijani government joined the Bologna Declaration, committing itself to ensuring integration of Azerbaijani higher education institutions into the European Higher Education Area, and improving the quality of education in line with requirements of the labour market. This commitment is also stipulated in the “State Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan”.

The status of an affiliate within ENQA gives Azerbaijan the opportunity to benefit from European cooperation in the field of quality assurance in higher education. It will also help Azerbaijan build a modern accreditation system in line with the Standards and Guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

Following the Recommendation of the Council on European co-operation in quality assurance in higher education and the Bologna Declaration, ENQA was established in 2000 as the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education to promote European cooperation in the field of quality assurance.

It is an umbrella organization which represents its members at the European level and internationally, and promotes European cooperation in the field of quality assurance in higher education.

ENQA has (http://www.enqa.eu/index.php/enqa-agencies/affiliates/) 49 members representing 27 countries, and 53 affiliates representing 31 countries.