CANQA TEMPUS PROJECT 2009-2011

     ACSUG takes part in a European Union Tempus Project related with the Central Asian network on Quality Assurance and Accreditation (CANQA). .

     The Tempus projects are European Union Programmes with the aim of promoting the Higher Education development. In this sense, agreements and collaboration activities are established between the European Union countries and also with countries of another world's areas. During the cooperation, information and experiences about the Higher Education are shared.

     ACSUG, aware of the importance of establish relations and contacts with other organizations, has decided taking part actively in the Tempus Project related with the Central Asian network on Quality Assurance and Accreditation (CANQA). The project, in which representatives of Tajikistan , Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are participating, is being developed in a three-year period (2009-2011).

     The CANQA project has the following main objectives:

•  To introduce to the participants a set of standards, tools and guidelines about external and internal quality assurance in higher education.

• To develop and give support to the Central Asian network on Quality Assurance and Accreditation (CANQA).

•  To create a register of information on Central Asia accreditation systems and measures.

•  To develop Academic Recognition Information Centres within the accreditation agencies.

     In relation with this project, during the week of 29 June to 3 July 2009, 15 representatives of the aforementioned countries attended a training seminar in ACSUG headquarters. In the seminar ,organised in collaboration with the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), different topics were analysed: European Standard and Guidelines for the Higher Education; procedures and systems for external and internal quality management, and also the ACSUG activities were explained.

     Following this activity, ACSUG has taken part in the international conference “Modernization of internal and external quality assurance systems in higher education in Central Asia”, between 14 and 16 December 2009 in Dushanbe ( Tajikistan ). In the conference , different training activities were carried out, a 2009 monitoring of the CANQA project was presented and it was settled the 2010 planning of activities.

The next annual meeting of the project took place on 19 to 21 November 2010 in Almaty ( Kazakhstan ). In the conference some activities were planned , including a presentation about the ACSUG experience in external quality assurance processes and accreditation. A 2010 monitoring of the CANQA project was presented and it was settled the 2011 planning of activities (last year of the project).

The Project was extended to 2012, in which ACSUG took part in the Pilot Accreditation Process in Central Asia, activity included whithin CANQA project.

ACSUG participated in the evaluation of the following universities in Tajikistan:
- Khujand State University.
- Tajik State University of Comerce en Dushanbe