New APEC Report to Help Deliver Higher Quality Education Around the Asia-Pacific
The findings of a new APEC report will help Member Economies to deliver more transparent and quality assured education systems throughout the Asia-Pacific.
The report on the "Enhancement of Quality Assurance Systems in Higher Education in APEC Member Economies" was presented to the APEC EDNET meeting today in Brisbane.
The Lead Shepherd of APEC's Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG), Dr. Alan Ginsburg, said the report will be of great benefit to educators and students around the region.
"This report shows how the Human Resources Development Working Group in APEC can gather information about member policies to facilitate trade in education services within the APEC region," Dr. Ginsburg said at the HRDWG meeting in Brisbane.
"The report seeks to identify characteristics of highly successful quality assurance systems for higher education and to make this knowledge widely available in the APEC region.
"A range of quality assurance systems are assessed and compared in the report including consideration of trends and practices that have worked well, and opportunities for improvement."
Mr. Ginsburg said he expects the research and findings in the report to prove valuable to all APEC economies in assisting national quality assurance regimes to become more effective.
"The report will also help to expand opportunities for students, graduates and professionals to have their qualifications and prior learning recognized across borders throughout the APEC region."
Addressing the consequences of radical changes in higher education over the last 20 years, such as the increases in student numbers, higher costs and the greater cross-border mobility of students and education, the report looks at the various quality assurance systems developed across the APEC region.
The report was undertaken in response to the Third APEC Education Ministers Meeting that was held in Santiago, Chile, in April 2004 in which ministers placed a priority on achieving "transparent, accountable, regulatory, accreditation and quality assurance systems" across the region.
The full report can now be downloaded.
The APEC Human Resources Development Working Group is meeting in Brisbane from the 17-20 April. Outcomes from the meeting will be further discussed at the APEC Ministerial Meeting that will take place in Sydney in September