1. Gunnar Vaht Head of the Estonian ENIC/NARI Baku, 2017
ENIC and NARIC Networks, and main tasks of national information centre – European experience
Gunnar Vaht
Head of the Estonian ENIC/NARI
Baku, 2017

2. Recognition Networks
ENIC (European Network of National Information Centres on Academic Mobility and Recognition)
Council of Europe / UNESCO
NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Centres)
European Union

3. National ENIC office Establishment
Lisbon Recognition Convention - acknowledging the need for relevant, accurate and up-to-date information, each Party shall establish or maintain a national information centre

4. National ENIC office Main functions by Lisbon Recognition Convention
facilitate access to information on the national higher education system and qualifications
facilitate access to information on the foreign higher education systems and qualifications
give advice or information on recognition matters and assessment of qualifications
(promotion of use the Diploma Supplement)

5. National ENIC offices
Establishments - the following type of institutions are in practice
Department of Ministry of Education or contact person in MoE
State institution other than MoE
Foundation or other independent public institution established by the Government
Private agency

6. Joint ENIC/NARIC Charter
Joint ENIC/NARIC Charter of Activities and Services (approved by the Networks and by LRC Committee, June 2004)
The purpose of the charter is to assist ENIC (and NARIC) centres to better respond to the challenges posed by the changing of the recognition environment and to set up a legitimate operation framework for the work of the national centres.
The charter defines tasks and activities of the national ENIC(/NARIC) centre and the ENIC (and NARIC) networks

7. Common tasks and activities (I)
TWO MAIN FIELDS:
information provision
assessment of foreign qualifications

8. Common tasks and activities (II)
Provide adequate, reliable and authenticated information on qualifications, educational systems and recognition procedures to the partners and stakeholders
close cooperation with Ministry of Education (or other departments of the Ministry) in gathering the information
information on systems and recognition procedures according to the national and international legislation or other regulations
everybody should have an access to the information

9. Common tasks and activities (III)
Advice a formal decision on the recognition of qualifications on the basis of their assessment by applying existing criteria and procedures developed by the Networks
(1)credential evaluation-(2)comparison- (3)recommendation for recognition on the purpose of further study or employment (non-regulated professions)
other ways to advice credential evaluators, providing only some information about the degree granting institution, or marking system or about the assessment criteria

10. Common tasks and activities (IV)
Serve as the main information point on the recognition of higher education and access qualifications
advice with recognition system and policy
information on national and international legal instruments (national acts, bilateral agreements, conventions, intl. recommendations, declarations, etc
information point for regulated professions (EU directives)

11. Common tasks and activities (V)
Cooperation with higher education institutions, quality assurance agency, student union, competent professional recognition authorities, labor unions
exchange of information
advice institutions in development of internal regulations (e.g. admission rules; qualification requirements to the certain posts; etc)
Bologna developments

12. Common tasks and activities (VI)
Contribution to higher education policy development and legislation at national, regional and international level
fields (national level): degree structure, designation of degrees, qualifications framework, quality assurance, marking and credit system, admission policy and procedure, graduation requirements, recognition policy, implementation of recognition instruments and tools, terminology, students rights, mobility, internationalisation of higher education
contribution to develop the international agreements

13. Common tasks and activities (VII)
Collecting and regularly updating information on educational systems and qualifications in different countries, and their comparability to the qualifications in the home system
close cooperation with ENIC offices in other countries (networking)
library of information sources of foreign education systems and/or electronic links to the educational systems
general comparisons of general qualifications are recommended, according to the evaluation practice

14. Common tasks and activities (VIII)
Promotion a fair recognition of qualifications based on learning outcomes
there is assessment in practice where evaluators are looking for identity of every single detail in the inputs (list of subjects, number of hours, titles of subjects, length of learning). THERE IS NO IDENTIC INPUTS AND IDENTIC QUALIFICATIONS

15. Common tasks and activities (IX)
Focus more on recognition for the purpose of employment (non-regulated professions)
academic recognition - recognition on the purpose of further studies (in general), and that is why the main focus may be on the assessment of qualifications to the education institutions only
(in Estonian ENIC/NARIC approx 60% of foreign diplomas assessed to the labor market)

16. ENIC Network
Established in 1994 by the Council of Europe and UNESCO in order to develop joint policy and practice in all European countries for the recognition of qualifications
Key role in implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention
national ENIC shall appointed as a member of the ENIC Network
ENIC Network uphold and assist the practical implementation of the Convention
ENIC Bureau - three members (President and two Vice-Presidents)
Secretariat - jointly provided by CoE and UNESCO
Close cooperation with the NARIC Network of the European Union
Working groups
Information exchange between the national ENICs (electronic list)
website -

17. ENIC Network Activities of the Working Parties
Within the ENIC Network, a number of policy and information issues are prepared by Working Parties which submit their proposals to the annual Network meetings
Recognition issues in the Bologna Process
Transnational Education
Diploma Supplement
Joint activities with quality assurance network
Criteria and procedures fir the assessment of foreign qualifications and periods of study
Europe - USA: Mutual recognition of qualifications
Europe - Russian Federation: Mutual recognition of qualifications
ELCORE - Working Party on electronic information
Information strategies

18. ENIC Network - development
Benchmarking, setting and promoting best practices, development and methodologies on recognition in line with the criteria and procedures defined in the Lisbon Recognition Convention
cooperation with quality assurance agencies and networks (ENQA) in order to establish a common framework
cooperation with steakholders (employers, students, associations)
cooperation with other parts of the world on information provision about European Higher Education Area and recognition of qualifications

19. Thank you!