If quality assurance policy aims to solve a perceived problem in higher education, (Westerheijden at al: 2014), than how QA could restore the trust of citizens and society in Macedonian higher education and its institutions? Due to longstanding grievances, rethinking and rebuilding the quality assurance system will be an extremely tough task to do. We should not forget, however that Macedonia has a shallow starting position, compared with the other SEEU countries, experiencing interethnic tensions, arm conflict in 2001, severe economic hardship through the years of transition and serious political turmoil caused by the wiretapping scandal and widespread corruption and most recently, change of the name of the country.
After a decade of hazardous policies in higher education, it is time for the Government and the academia to overcome their conflicting interests, to agree on common national objectives on quality assurance and finally undertake meaningful changes, addressing many sensitive questions along the way. How can government officials be held accountable for protecting the public interest through quality assurance in the new political and social reality? How to ensure the independence of the new QA Agency from the political parties’ influence? What policies can be pursued to increase the tertiary education attainment while safeguarding the quality? What function the Macedonian universities play in our society and how they can win the academic struggles for greater academic freedom, integrity and more significant academic reputation in Europe? Probably the first step in pursuing the answers and prevent further damage is to stop experimentations and improvisations in higher education.
References
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ENQA (2015) Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). (2015). Brussels, Belgium. Available at: https://enqa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ESG_2015.pdf
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Van Vught, F.A. and D.F. Westerheijden (1994) Towards a General Model of Quality Assessment in Higher Education. Higher Education 28(3): 355–371.
Further readings
Bergen Communiqué (2005) http://www.bologna-bergen2005.no/Docs/00-Main_doc/050520_Bergen_Communique.pdf
Cepujnoska V. Baumgartl. Donevski B. and Fried J. (2004) Quality assurance in higher education: From analysis to improvement, Interuniversity conference of RM, May, 2004
EC (2005) European Higher Education Area – Achieving the Goals Conference of European Higher Education Ministers: Contribution of the European Commission, Bergen, 19/20 May 2005
ENQA (2013) Guidelines for external reviews of quality assurance agencies in the European Higher Education Area, available at:
http://www.enqa.eu/wpcontent/uploads/2013/06/Guidelines-for-external-reviews-of-quality-assurance-agencies-in-the-EHEA.pdf
Hazelkorn, E. (2009) The emperor has no clothes? Rankings and the shift from quality assurance to world-class excellence. Trends in Quality Assurance: EUA
Neave, G. (1994) (ed.). Government and Higher Education Relationships Across Three Continents: The Winds of Change (Issues in Higher Education) IAU Press.
PERGAMON.
Neave, G. (1998). The Evaluative State Reconsidered. European Journal of Education, 33 (3): 265 ‐ 284.
Rulebook on the organization, the work, decision making, methodology and standards for accreditation and evaluation and other issues related to the work of the Higher Education Accreditation and Evaluation Board (Official Gazette no.151/2012);
Rulebook on the organization, the work, decision making, methodology and accreditation procedures of the Accreditation Board (Official Gazette no.121/09);
Salmi J (2015) The Evolving role of the state in Regulating and Conducting Quality Assurance
State Statistical Office. Statistical Yearbook 2011/12, Skopje, 2012
Guidelines for assessment and assurance of quality of HEIs and academic faculty (2000) (Official Gazette no.64/2000);
Regulation on norms and standards for establishing HEIs and providing higher education (Official Gazette no.103/2010);
Usher, A. & Savino, M. (2006) A world of difference: A global survey of University League Tables. Toronto, ON: Educational Policy Institute
World Bank (2004) Tertiary Education and Innovation Systems in Macedonia Report, June, 2004
World Bank (2013). Project Assessment Document for the Skills Development and Innovation Support Project. Washington DC: The World Bank, Report No: 80582-MK.
Woodhouse, D. and Stella, A. (2006) The need for accreditation
Woodhouse, D. (1999) ‘Quality and quality assurance: an overview’, in De Wit, H. &
Knight, J. (Eds.) Quality and internationalization in higher education (Paris, OECD).
Van Raan A. (2005) Fatal attraction: Conceptual and methodologigical problems in the ranking of universities by bibliometric methods Scienometrics, 62:133-143