Chairman of the National Commission for Qualifications and Academic Accreditation Dr. Mazen Hasna stated that visits for academic accreditation of universities will commence during the upcoming academic year 20232024.
During the first introductory meeting, organized by the National Commission, in collaboration with Qatar University (QU), in the presence of a number of officials from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and representative from the concerned sectors, Dr. Hasna mentioned that the Commission will collaborate with two local higher education institutions to prepare the self-study, which will be the focus of the accreditation process. Additionally, the commission will open the nomination process to prepare program evaluators from within the country, with the aim of training and qualifying them to participate in the assessment committees for higher education institutions during accreditation visits.
Chairman of the National Commission for Qualifications and Academic Accreditation touched on the establishment of the commission by Cabinet Decision in 2022, the committee's responsibilities which were defined by the Cabinet Decision, and include overall supervision of the national qualifications framework and its periodic update in accordance with the state's general policies. He indicated that the commission reports directly to the Minister of Education and Higher Education, granting it independence. Despite its independence, the commission works closely with the higher education sector in the country.
He pointed out that the commission is responsible for accrediting qualifications (certificates and academic degrees) awarded by higher education institutions in the country to ensure their alignment with the national qualification framework. The commission will also contribute to the development of higher education institutions and enhance high-quality educational opportunities by establishing quality assurance standards and promoting compliance with them, noting that academic accreditation is the process of evaluating the quality of higher education institutions or a specific educational program to recognize that the institution or program has achieved specific and accredited quality standards.
He also provided an overview of the institutional accreditation standards that the commission has been working on in recent months, which include five criteria, which are: the institution's mission and organization, ensuring integrity, the availability of institutional resources, institutional planning and effectiveness, the achievement of the mission, the institution's impact and alignment with the partners' aspirations.
Source: Qatar News Agency