The members of the ETF Forum for Quality Assurance in VET are meeting in Chisinau on 16-18 May 2023 to discuss quality assurance measures of external evaluation methodology, evaluation standards for VET programs and institutions in the Republic of Moldova.
The State Secretary and Head of Vocational Education and Training Department, Galina Rusu, of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova warmly welcomed the members of the ETF Quality Assurance Forum in Chisinau. Quality assurance in education, and especially in vocational education and training is of utmost importance for the Moldovan education system. Moldova is applying the European quality assurance standards since 2016 and now it is the moment to check what the country has reached. Skills developed at the vocational education and training level are particularly important for Moldova. The aim is to reduce the gap between the skills and economic sectors. The recently adopted law on dual education is adding another building block for the improvement of the quality of education. Ms Rusu addressed particular thanks to the ETF for giving to Moldova the opportunity of sharing its experience and learning from other countries. This will help to make the Moldovan quality assurance system as solid as possible. The President of the hosting institution, Andrei Chiciuc, expressed his high gratitude for the possibility of receiving valuable international feedback on the external evaluation methodology of VET programs and institutions. In Moldova, for higher education and for vocational education, different indicators are used for external evaluation. It is unique and transparent approach. How well this process is going is up to the Forum members to tell nowt. From the ETF part, Hugues Moussy, Head of Systems Performance and Assessment Unit, emphasized on the quality assurance as the key element of governance of the education system. The peer learning approach allows to exchange on best practices based on openness, fair exchange and dialogue, and trust. ETF continuously supports this format of expertise exchange.
The Director of the Centre of Excellence in Construction, an institution established 90 years ago, underlined that education is the most important pillar in every society. Education starts from the teachers and quality of education is crucial in any circumstance. The Centre is now in their 2nd term of accreditation – a process that helps to understand what needs to be improved in the system, where they can learn a lessons.
In Moldova, the quality management in VET is ensured at two levels: national – by the Ministry of Education and Research, relevant ministries and the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research; and at institutional level – by the respective quality assurance structures in education.
In the context of the Forum peer visit, the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC) of Moldova invited peers from Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Türkiye, to provide their external peer review on the effectiveness of external quality assurance mechanisms as well as on the relevance of the evaluation standards for VET programs and VET institutions.
During the peer visit of 3 days, the Forum members will have an opportunity to discuss the particularities of the Moldovan system with all the key actors involved in its implementation and coordination. On the first day, hosted by the Centre of Excellence in Construction, the Forum Members will discuss the evaluation standards with the school managers. Then, at the Centre of Excellence in Medicine and Pharmacy with the evaluation experts and experts of the VET Profile Committee more insights will be given to the concrete application of the evaluation methodology. At the Centre of Excellence in Informatics, and in Energy and Electronics the peers will meet also the employers and learners. The final day will be dedicated to the preparation of peer feedback.
This type of peer visit is one of the main tools to support self- and peer-assessment of VET quality assurance. The ETF Forum for Quality Assurance in VET has organised learning and sharing of good practices through peer visit to Tunisia, Montenegro and Georgia and is committed to supporting QA Forum members to learn and improve through translational peer learning.
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