QAA signs Memorandum of Understanding with Uzbekistan agency

QAA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Uzbekistan's newly established National Quality Assurance Agency for Education.

The creation of Uzbekistan's National Quality Assurance Agency for Education was announced in May, following its establishment by a presidential decree. Its functions include the accreditation of new educational programmes and the accreditation of institutions engaged in vocational and higher education and professional training, conducted on a quinquennial basis through processes of independent external evaluation.

The MoU was signed by Bakhtiyor Yuldashev, Director of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, and QAA Chief Executive Vicki Stott.

Vicki was visiting Tashkent to take part in a panel discussion on distinctive features of national quality assurance frameworks and to present a keynote address at an international forum on quality assurance and accreditation in higher education, alongside Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Kongratbay Sharipov, and Stéphane Lauwick, President of the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education, as well as distinguished speakers from Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Vicki described the MoU as "a reaffirmation of our shared commitment to quality, integrity, and collaboration in higher education".

She added: "We understand that Uzbekistan’s agency is at the beginning of its journey, and we deeply admire the bold and forward-looking steps you are taking. We stand ready to support you as you build your systems and capacity, and we are equally eager to learn from your experiences and insights.

"We are excited by the opportunities that this MoU brings us, contributing specifically to the continuous improvement of external quality assurance practices in Uzbekistan in line with international standards, the advancement of UK-Uzbekistan higher education partnerships based on mutual recognition of quality assurance outcomes, and the promotion of academic integrity, institutional transparency, and stakeholder confidence in both national systems."