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The Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC) accomplished its registration to the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), which constitutes one of the significant steps of the Bologna Process. With the decision taken on 3 March 2023, EQAR approved THEQC's registration based on its activities' compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
THEQC's application for full membership to the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) was accepted by the ENQA Board on 28 April 2020, and THEQC's 5-year full membership was approved.
THEQC's admission to the Register represents a critical step for the competencies whose quality assurance is confirmed in the Turkish higher education system to gain diploma visibility and equivalence in the European Higher Education Area.
With the EQAR Registration, reports on THEQC's institutional external evaluation and institutional accreditation activities as the official institution responsible for quality assurance in higher education in Türkiye, will also be included in the EQAR database (DEQAR).
This success will also enable the Turkish higher education system's status in the Bologna Process Implementation Reports to reach the dark green level, the highest development stage compliance indicators of the external quality assurance system.
Prof. Muhsin Kar, THEQC President, evaluated this important development for Türkiye by stating that quality assurance systems became the primary impetus of change in European higher education. Noting that at the end of the last twenty years in the Bologna process, all European countries established their internal and external quality assurance systems within the scope of their higher education systems, President Kar emphasized that this new, multi-stakeholder, multi-level higher education ecosystem established a culture of change and internationalization. President Kar also thanked all stakeholders, Council members, and employees who contributed to this success.
THEQC takes pride in carrying out the institutional external evaluation and accreditation activities of higher education institutions, which are its primary task, as an agency registered with ENQA and EQAR in accordance with European ESG standards, while it continues its support for program accreditation activities by authorising and recognising national and international accreditation institutions for the diplomas obtained in Türkiye to include the competencies whose quality are assured.
EQAR stands for the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education. All institutions in the European higher education area are subject to regular external evaluation by quality assurance agencies. The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) constitute the basis for the external evaluation. EQAR is the official register body of quality assurance agencies operating in the European higher education area in full compliance with the ESG.
ENQA is the umbrella organisation responsible for coordinating higher education quality assurance activities across Europe. It contributes to its members and stakeholders by promoting European cooperation in the field of quality assurance in higher education and disseminating its knowledge and expertise among them to develop and share good practices and improve the European quality assurance dimension.
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