EN
RU
KG
How to stop "cooking in your own juice" and start developing, or about the role and importance of independent accreditation of educational organizations
How to stop "cooking in your own juice" and start developing, or about the role and importance of independent accreditation of educational organizations
Having broken all local records for the number of views in social networks, the domestic film "Agai" (more than 2 million views) can be considered a kind of indicator of the increased attention of society to the field of education, although it would be more accurate to say, to the quality of education. These trends in the public consciousness cannot but rejoice, and in this regard it would be appropriate to talk about tools to improve the quality of education, one of which is independent accreditation. In addition, there is a reason to talk about this – exactly 10 years ago, the introduction of independent accreditation in education in our country was launched.
Thus, in June 2013, the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Education" was adopted, which laid down the norms that established opportunities for the emergence and development of an independent accreditation system. According to the law, independent accreditation was to begin on September 1, 2014. However, it was introduced on September 1, 2016. Starting from this moment, the implementation of this law is carried out in accordance with the Procedure for accreditation of Educational Organizations and programs, as well as the Minimum requirements for accredited educational organizations of primary, secondary and higher professional education of the Kyrgyz Republic, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic dated September 29, 2015, No. 670 and October 4, 2016, No. 525.
According to the expert community, independent accreditation in our country has successfully passed the stage of formation and growth, as evidenced by the results of the activities of accreditation agencies. They show that every year the popularity of this procedure among educational organizations is only growing. To reveal the secret of the success of independent accreditation, let us return again to the essence, philosophy and meaning of the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Education" in force at that time. First of all, it should be noted that it has significantly expanded the possibilities for accreditation. Moreover, for the first time, the functions were legally divided between the state in terms of protecting citizens from poor–quality education and the public - involving the widest range of representatives in assessing the quality of education, conditions, and results of educational activities and, thereby, laid the foundation for public-state interaction in the field of assessing the quality of education.
One of the first independent accreditation agencies in our country can rightfully be considered the Agency for Accreditation of Educational Programs and Organizations, which was established in 2014 and in 2016 was recognized by the National Accreditation Council.
In 2021, the Agency for Accreditation of Educational Programs and Organizations was recognized by the National Accreditation Council under the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic for a second term from 09/27/2021 to 09/27/2026 as an accreditation agency in accordance with the "Procedure for recognition of accreditation agencies in the field of education", approved by the Decree of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic dated 09/29/2015 No. 670 and the order of the Ministry of Education and Science No. 1595/1 dated 27.09.2021
It is gratifying to note that in accordance with the criteria of the Accreditation Recognition Program by the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME), the Agency for Accreditation of Educational Programs and Organizations (AAEPO) received recognition status until March 31, 2032.
The recognition status of the WFME confirms that the World Federation of Medical Education is satisfied with the accreditation process, post-accreditation monitoring and the decision-making process of the AAEPO in relation to educational organizations and basic medical education programs.
The status of the agency recognized by the WFME gives an understanding that the quality of medical education in the educational institutions accredited by it meets the corresponding strict standards.
It should be noted that together with the agency that has undergone complex examination procedures, both the quality of domestic education as a whole and the educational programs and universities accredited by these agencies receive recognition.
It is also appropriate to note in this regard that today about 70 thousand foreign students study in Kyrgyzstan, although mainly from Pakistan and India, but the fact remains: Kyrgyzstan is successfully engaged in the export of medical education. Moreover, the recognition of the agency's status at the global level indicates that this organization is really open and transparent, works responsibly, because it has passed a special external examination for the quality and effectiveness of its activities.
It should be noted that a few years earlier AAEPO was accepted as a full member of the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) - a worldwide association of about 300 organizations involved in the theory and practice of quality assurance in higher education.
AAEPO is also a member of The Asia Pacific Quality Assurance Network for Higher Education (The Asia Pacific Quality Network - APQN). Membership in these organizations will allow AAEPO to further expand cooperation with other quality assurance agencies in different parts of the world.
This is the portrait of the national accreditation agency today after the first decade of the independent accreditation system in education. The "portrait" is written on the example of one agency because the inductive method allows you to more clearly see the process of becoming an independent accreditation without delving into distracting issues. So, currently there are 6 independent accreditation agencies that were established at different times and have different portfolios and achievements, but all of them contribute to the formation and development of independent accreditation and thereby to improving the quality of education, as far as possible.
Thus, step by step, independent accreditation is becoming more and more popular among educational organizations, primarily those that seek to obtain independent confirmation of the quality of educational programs and recommendations for their improvement.
There is nothing surprising in this trend, since in world practice accreditation is not only a tool for improving the quality and recognition of existing achievements, but also a mechanism for identifying the presence of positive trends in the development of educational institutions. Moreover, if an educational organization sets itself the ambitious task of being among the national leaders and being quoted abroad, it cannot do without international accreditation.
Today there are 78 universities in the country, of which 33 are state, 45 are non–state higher educational institutions, 152 educational organizations of secondary vocational education and 99 primary vocational education, 2,353 secondary schools.
From 2017 to 2022, the Agency for Accreditation of Educational Programs and Organizations conducted 271 independent accreditation procedures, including: program accreditation of 93 educational organizations (EO) of higher professional education, 152 EO of secondary vocational education, 15 EO of primary vocational education, as well as 4 EO of basic and secondary general education for 1197 educational programs (PhD, HPE, SVE, PVE, SS) and institutional accreditation of 52 EO of higher, secondary vocational education, as well as primary, basic and secondary general education .
As the results of the activities of the AAEPO show, educational institutions that have passed the accreditation procedure have made a significant breakthrough in improving their activities, motivating and stimulating the activities of teachers, encouraging their scientific activities, cooperation with partners and employers, and generally improving the quality of their educational services. They began to look more confidently into the future, outlined new strategies to improve their image and status.
In the decade since the institution of independent accreditation was legitimized, it is safe to say that the institute of independent assessment in the field of education has become a serious achievement both for the education sector and for public life, as evidenced by the practice of one of the leading accreditation agencies in our country.
Seyitzhan Apyshev
Share :
Submit an application
Your application has been sent successfully. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Error: Please try again