On 21 July, the International Seminar “Quality Without Borders: Internationalisation and Cross-Border Quality Assurance in Higher Education” was held. The event was organised by NAQA in partnership with Uzhhorod National University, with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Hungary.
A particularly valuable contribution to the event was the participation of the ENQA leadership. Daniela Cristina Ghițulică, President of ENQA and Director General of ARACIS, and Péter Levente Lakatos, ENQA Board Member and Director General of MAB, took part in the event, highlighting NAQA’s high level of professionalism, effective work and long-standing fruitful cooperation.
The event brought together government officials, diplomats, heads of leading European quality assurance agencies and representatives of the university community for a productive discussion on cross-border quality assurance.
Leading Ukrainian and international experts and officials joined the event as speakers, including Nataliia Stukalo, Acting Head of NAQA; Andrii Butenko, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine; and Yuliia Hryshyna, Chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation. The discussion was also joined by Fedir Shandor, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Hungary; Volodymyr Smolanka, Acting Rector of Uzhhorod National University; and Myroslav Biletskyi, Head of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration / Head of the Regional Military Administration.
During the plenary session, participants discussed key aspects and challenges of internationalisation in higher education. The outcomes and insights generated during the event will provide a valuable basis for Ukrainian higher education institutions in developing their own quality assurance systems and expanding opportunities for cross-border cooperation.
Particular attention was paid to the impact of internationalisation on the quality of higher education, enabling universities to make effective use of international instruments to enhance their competitiveness and modernise their study programmes. The discussion featured Olena Knysh, Leading Specialist of the Analytical and Training Support Department of NAQA; Taras Finikov, President of the International Foundation for Educational Policy Research; and representatives of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine – Svitlana Shytikova, Coordinator, and Zhanna Talanova, Deputy Coordinator. The discussion was moderated by Olena Yeremenko, NAQA Vice Head.
The event once again demonstrated that internationalisation and cross-border cooperation are a solid foundation for the development of modern Ukrainian higher education. Joint efforts of NAQA, European partners and the university community are creating new opportunities for Ukrainian higher education institutions and facilitating their confident integration into the European Higher Education Area.