The international conference “The impact of quality assurance mechanisms on the creation of a quality culture in higher education”, organized by the Kosova Accreditation Agency and supported by the Heras Plus Project, has started its work, which was attended by the Prime Minister of Kosova, Albin Kurti, the Minister of Education, Arbërie Nagavci, the ambassador of Austria in Kosova, Georg Schnetzer, as well as leaders of important local and international higher education institutions.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the Minister of Education, Arbërie Nagavci on this occasion said that the priority of the Government is the quality in higher education and the independence of the Accreditation Agency.
“We have finalized the draft law on higher education, the Law on the Kosova Accreditation Agency (AKA) has been finalized and voted in the Assembly, we have secured the facility for the agency, we have approved the vacancies in the KAA, for the completion of the staff and we have budget them”, said Prime Minister Kurti.
The Minister of Education, Arbërie Nagavci emphasized that this conference aims at a major goal: raising the quality of higher education, while she called the participation of local and international stakeholders, as well as representatives of ENQA and EQAR, as very important.
Minister Nagavci said that the creation of a quality culture in higher education is both a broad and complex goal, with a long reach in terms of time and resources.
“The cultivation of this culture requires attention, foresight, an open mind and a clear vision”, said Nagavci.
Among other things, Nagavci also spoke about a series of actions and policies in order to improve the quality in Higher Education and ensure the independence of the Kosovo Accreditation Agency, while adding that Kosova is the first country in the region to have a law that provides this agency with institutional and financial independence and its full functioning.
The Ambassador of Austria in Kosova, Georg Schnetzer emphasized that Austria is the most active donor in the field of higher education in Kosova. Schnetzer said that he hopes that in the future this conference will serve as a platform for quality assurance in which stakeholders from the Western Balkans will be involved.
The chairperson of the KAA Board, Hasnije Ilazi, and the director of the KAA, Naim Gashi, also spoke about the importance of the conference, who elaborated on the work and commitment of the Agency in its mission to ensure quality in higher education in Kosova.
Last modified: September 26, 2023
