On September 17–18, the Ukrainian Quality Assurance Forum (UQAF-2025), held in Lutsk, became a hub for professional discussions about the future of the higher education quality assurance system.
The forum gained particular international significance thanks to the participation of representatives from leading European and global quality assurance organizations. During the plenary session “Unity and Cooperation for the Future of Ukrainian Education,” ENQA President Douglas Blackstock delivered an online address. The session also featured insights, perspectives, and expectations shared by EQAR Director Aleksandar Šušnjar, CEENQA President Vesna Dodiković-Jurković, INQAAHE Chief Executive Officer Fabrice Henard, and ENQA Board member and Director of Estonian Quality Agency for Education HAKA, Heli Mattisen.
Another highlight was the plenary discussion “Future-Proof or Fossilized? The Next Era of Higher Education,” where Aleksandar Šušnjar, Heli Mattisen, and Aqim Emurli, Deputy Chair of the NAQA Advisory Board and Head of the “Sustainable Development of Higher Education and Research” (SHER) programme, joined Ukrainian experts to explore the next phase of higher education transformation.
A key focus of the UQAF-2025 was the panel discussion “Cross-Border Learning in Quality Assurance: Lessons from the Estonian-Ukrainian Institutional Accreditation Pilot,” during which HAKA Assessment Manager in Higher Education Hillar Bauman, together with colleagues, presented practical cases and outcomes of the joint Estonian-Ukrainian institutional accreditation project.
The international presence extended beyond experts: the event was also attended by Estonian media representative Christina Veinberg, ensuring broader coverage of the forum’s highlights in the European information space.
UQAF-2025 once again proved that the quality of education is a shared responsibility — and that partnerships between Ukrainian and international experts are key to building a competitive higher education system worthy of European recognition.
