Concepcion V. Pijano Member, AQAN Technical Advisory Committee

Defining the Region: Geographical Coverage All Pacific island nations and territories, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, all island and mainland nations and territories in Asia, including Russia, Afghanistan and Iran, but excluding the other central ‘stans (which are covered by another network), and excluding the Gulf states (which are covered by another network).

. . . Membership: 166 members from 38 countries Russia Kazakhstan Bhutan Macau . Taiwan . Brunei . Maldives Membership: 166 members from 38 countries

ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

Understanding ASEAN It is home to more than 600 million people. Together, ASEAN’s ten member states form an economic powerhouse with a large potential market. If ASEAN were a single country, it would be the seventh-largest economy in the world. Next to the People's Republic of China and India, ASEAN has the world's third largest labor force that remains relatively young. A total of 7,908 Higher Education Institutions exist in the region

The Challenge There is a need to bridge the perceived "development divide" between the older and economically more advanced members - Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, known as the ASEAN-6, and the four newer members – Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Viet Nam, also known as CLMV countries.

Matrix of External Quality Assurance Agencies in ASEAN

Matrix of External Quality Assurance Agencies in ASEAN (cont.) Source: Niedermeier, F. and Pohlenz, P. (2016) “Development Needs: Higher Education Quality Assurance in the ASEAN Region”, University of Potsdam.

Country/EQA/Year Established Purpose Number of (HEIs) Population/ Enrolment in HEIs Brunei Darussalam National Accreditation Council 2000 Ensure and maintain the quality and standard of educational credentials in accordance with the provisions as set and required by the Government.. 4 universities 1 Polytechnic 417,000 inhabitants 8,000 students Cambodia Accreditation Committee of Cambodia 2003 A judicial mechanism to administer the accreditation of higher education for all higher educational institutions to ensure the promote academic quality. 110 HEIs under 9 Ministries   15 Million 231,787 students Indonesia National Accrediting Agency for Higher Education 1994 Providing national accreditation to all study programs, and the public, private, religion-based, and government service higher education institutions. 3,813 HEIs under 10 Ministries 254 Million 5,354,000 Students Lao PDR Education Quality Assurance Center 2008 Accreditation provides public notification than an institution has met established standards of quality set forth by the Ministry of Education and Sports/ 5 Universities 127 HEIs under 2 Ministries 6.6 Million 125,000 students

Country/EQA/ Year Established Purpose Number of HEIs Population/ Enrolment Malaysia Malaysian Qualifications Agency 1997 Implement the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) as a basis for quality assurance of higher education and as the reference point for the criteria and standards for national qualifications. 20 Public 510 Private including Branch Campuses 30 Million 1,036,000 Students Myanmar National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Committee 2015 Monitoring, and advising on standards, methods and quality in higher education.. 163 HEIs under 13 Ministries 53 Million 660,000 Students Philippines Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) 1957 plus four (4) other accrediting agencies The government encourages the use of voluntary non-governmental accreditation systems in aid of the exercise of its regulatory functions. 220 Public 1636 Private 100 Million 2,625,000 Students

Country/EQA/ Year Established Purpose Number of HEIs Population/ Enrolment Singapore Ministry of Education Higher Education Division (HED) 2001 Council for Private Education 2009 For public HEIs: To plan and conduct quality audits, with the help of external review panels, work closely with the institutions for continuous improvement and conduct research on QA practices for enhancement purposes. For private HEIs: To register and regulate private education institutions and persons who offer or provide any service relating to private education. To establish, implement or support quality accreditation or certification schemes to enhance the standards of the private education sector.   5 Public 31 Private 5.4 M 244,000 students Thailand Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment Development of criteria and methods of external evaluation, conducting evaluation of educational achievements in order to assess the quality of institutions. 98 Public 71 Private 57.73 M 2,430,000 Students

Country/EQA/ Year Established Purpose Number of HEIs Population/ Enrolment Vietnam General Department of Education, Testing and Education (GDETA) 2003 Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-CEA) 2013 Center for Education Accreditation - Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM CEA) 2013 Center for Education Accreditation - Da Nang University (DNU-CEA) 2015 Center for Education Accreditation of the Association of Vietnam Universities and Colleges (CEA-AVU&C) 2016 Responsible for guiding the individuals, institutions and organizations to implement quality assurance programs nationwide. Conduct accreditation of educational institutions and educational programs, counseling to improve the quality of educational institutions in order to contribute to improving the quality of education in Vietnam,  219 Universities 217 Colleges 55 Research Institutes 91 M 2,363,492 Students

ASEAN QUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK (AQAF) 2. External Quality Assurance Processes Processes 1. External Quality Assurance Agency 3. Internal Quality Assurance 4. National Qualification Framework

PURPOSES of the AQAF Serves as a common reference point to align quality assurance systems, higher education institutions and qualifications. Encourages national QA systems to benchmark against the Framework. Improves consistency of QA practices and builds a zone of trust to facilitate recognition of qualifications and promote regional harmonization.

Key Players in Regional Collaboration ASEAN QA Network (AQAN) ASEAN University Network (AUN) South East Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Higher Education (SEAMEO-RIHED) Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific Asia and Europe Meeting ASEAN+3 CAMPUS Asia University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific International Alliance of Research Universities Association of Pacific Rim Universities Association of East Asian Research Universities Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning

EUROPEAN UNION SUPPORT TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE ASEAN REGION

International Cooperation An umbrella term covering a number of activities including but not limited to: 1. international student and academic faculty exchanges (both ways) 2. international university partnership agreements (both bi-lateral and consortia and networks) 3. international research projects 4. development of joint degree programs with partner universities 5. branch campuses of foreign institutions 6. sandwich programs, twinning, and many others

Challenges Lack of resources to support quality assurance initiatives including insufficient funding Lack of quality experts (for example to conduct external reviews) Limited tools and knowledge and also a lack of awareness of quality assurance implementation Restrictions at a policy level Quality assurance responsibilities sometimes falling within several government departments. Lack of leadership for respective countries to strengthen their national quality systems.  

Challenges Resistance from some academics who view QA as an external process imposed on them. The risk of over-bureaucratization of the quality assurance processes. A situation when QA becomes a formal procedure (sometimes purely administrative and not academic) rather than an opportunity for genuine reflection and improvement. The risk of insufficient academic buy-in in the academic ownership of the quality assurance process, which prevents the QA from having an impact on the quality of the everyday operations and teaching and learning.

The Way Forward Review AQAF and guidelines upon completion of Project Develop new generic tools, instruments and common standards Build capacity with ASEAN and External experts Strengthen collaboration with international partners Provide full support and services towards alignment and harmonization in Higher Education and TVET