What is quality assurance?

Quality assurance is an ongoing process by which the quality of a higher education system, institution, or programme is assessed by the competent authority/authorities to assure stakeholders that acceptable educational standards are continuously being maintained and enhanced (Global Convention, 2019).

As the world’s most mobile region, the comparability, recognition and quality assurance of qualifications has become a growing area of concern, in particular in countries where administrative systems are weak.

APNNIC’s role in quality assurance

As the regional network of national information centres in support of academic recognition in Asia-Pacific, APNNIC builds on quality assurance mechanisms and shares reliable information about higher education institutions and systems, study programmes and degrees. At every level, APNNIC respects each country’s right to create a system for qualifications, and the autonomy of its institutions.

To ensure students are treated fairly, each country that ratifies the Tokyo Convention agrees to provide adequate information on any institution belonging to its higher education system, and on its quality assurance system. This is to enable other recognition authorities to determine whether the quality of the qualifications issued by these institutions justifies recognition.

Building local and regional capacity for a living quality culture in higher education in the Asia-Pacific region.

Learn More

• Tokyo Convention on recognition
• Global Convention on recognition
• Guidelines on Developing and Strengthening Qualifications Frameworks in Asia and the Pacific: Building a Culture of Shared Responsibility (UNESCO, 2018)
• Developing Holistic Indicators to Promote the Internationalization of Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific (UNESCO, 2018)
• Guidelines on Implementing Qualifications Frameworks in Asia and the Pacific at Subject Level: Educational Studies and Cultural Heritage Management (UNESCO, 2020)