QAHE has reached a Memorandum of Understanding with The Agency for Quality Assurance in Education “EdNet”, Kyrgyz Republic.

International Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (QAHE) has reached a Memorandum of Understanding with The Agency for Quality Assurance in Education “EdNet”, Kyrgyz Republic. EdNet Agency is the first independent accreditation agency in the Kyrgyz Republic, which was established and registered in 2012 in the Ministry of justice, and later on in 2016 was acknowledged by the Ministry of education and science of the Kyrgyz Republic as an eligible accreditation agency, that is allowed to conduct program and institutional accreditations in the Kyrgyz Republic, and was included in the National register of accreditation agencies of the Ministry of education and science. Since 2016 the Agency has become a full member of INQAAHE. When being established in 2012 the agency defined its foremost goal as quality assurance and promotion of culture through independent accreditation of educational programs and institutions, and thus contributed to development of educational system of Kyrgyzstan, by participation in development of legislative framework for independent accreditation that has been taking place during 2012-2016 years. Thus, the agency was part of the national team that elaborated governmental regulations on procedures and criteria for program and institutional accreditation of professional education that were approved in 2016 – the year when independent accreditation process was launched in Kyrgyzstan. EdNet Agency was established as a result of Central Asia Network for Quality Assurance - CANQA project, which was aimed at development and implementation of quality assurance systems and quality culture in higher education in Central Asia. As such, preparations for establishment of the agency has started in 2009 and last for the next 3 years – such approach ensured that staff of the agency was fully trained (by the experts from EU accreditation agencies – NVAO, ACSUG) and was prepared for running the agency on with a highly professional manner and knowledge in accreditation. Within CANQA the EdNet Association, the founder of EdNet Agency, initiated a bill on the introduction of an independent accreditation system in Kyrgyzstan, which was adopted in 2013, and the system of accreditation has been officially launched in 2016. The EdNet agency considers the independent accreditation procedure as one of the main mechanisms contributing to the qualitative development of the higher education system of the Kyrgyz Republic, increasing the competitiveness of universities both inside and outside the country, increasing public confidence in the learning outcomes achieved by universities, as well as the development of human potential in the field of quality culture and new approaches to assessing the quality of education. The Agency is responsible for reviews at institutional and programme level of post-secondary education institutions. As it stated in the Charter of the Agency (Part 4Subject, Goal and Objectives of the Agency)