MULTI-COUNTRY CO-OPERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION
(TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO PCU BRATISLAVA)

This programme is aimed at promoting co-operation among Central and Eastern European countries with a view to better integrating their higher education development into a wider European context.

The project has three components and three immediate objectives: to promote a system of international education indicators; to set up transnational mechanisms for quality assurance in higher education and to promote recognition of higher education qualifications and study credits across borders.

The INTERNATIONAL INDICATORS FOR EDUCATION component will be aimed at training experts at national level in the methods and mechanisms for the collection of educational data in order to create this necessary expertise in the PHARE countries. This will enable the collection and publication of internationally comparable statistics in education for the Central European countries.

The QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION component will consist of pilot projects and training activities at national and multinational level for introducing and testing different methods for quality assessment, comparing experiences in PHARE and EU countries in this domain, and implementing new developments, including the eventual establishment of regional centres of excellence.

The RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS component is aimed at developing further the national information centres on academic recognition and mobility (ENIC centres) by promoting EU mechanisms (such as ECTS) through pilot projects, or other models of good practice, by offering training at national level and abroad, by organising multi-country seminars for credential evaluators, by strengthening the development of reference libraries and national networks, by assuring electronic links between the centres.

The project will be implemented in the 11 PHARE countries through a Programme Co-ordination Unit in Bratislava.

CEPES has been awarded a contract of 200,000 ECU by the European Union to provide technical assistance to the PCU in Bratislava, based on its experience in on-going activities in the areas of concern and partnerships both in Central and Eastern European countries as well as the EU Commission.

CEPES has engaged a consultant, Mr. Nigel Rawden-Smith, formerly of the British Council, to carry out this task.

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LastUpdated: Mon May 05 13:50:26 1997