The ASEAN University Network - Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) launched the Quality Assurance System and Mechanisms at Institutional Level, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, at the Vietnam National University (VNU) on Tuesday in Hà Nội. — Photo dantri.com.vn

HÀ NỘI – Southeast Asian universities for the first time have a common quality assessment system at institutional level, under which Hà Nội University of Science will be the first being assessed, an organisation responsible for higher education in ASEAN countries has announced.

The ASEAN University Network - Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) launched the Quality Assurance System and Mechanisms at Institutional Level, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, at the Vietnam National University (VNU) on Tuesday in Hà Nội.

Dr. Nantana Gajaseni, AUN-QA executive director said the organisation had only carried out quality assessments in regional universities at programme levels so far, and the launching of an assessment system at institutional level “will be a significant milestone to further pave the way towards a better future for ASEAN higher education,” in order for the ASEAN region “to be the hub for quality education”.

She said the new system was created with reference to quality assurance standards of ASEAN, Europe and the United States.

“The assessment at institutional level will examine universities as a whole, including its strategic, systemic and functional quality assurance in education, research and service,” she said.

“Its objectives are to enhance comprehensively the quality of education, research and service of universities.”

VNU Vice President Nguyễn Hoàng Hải said Hà Nội University of Science under VNU had registered to become the first university in ASEAN being assessed under the new system in January 2017.

“This is to realise the policy of the Ministry of Education and Training in improving quality assessment to the level of regional and international standards,” he said.

Prof. Dr. Phan Tuấn Nghĩa, Vice Rector of the university said it had actively participated on quality assurance activities of ANU-QA at programme levels since 2012.

“Six programmes of our university have been assessed and met AUN-QA standards,” he said.

“We are ready for the quality assessment at institutional level in the future”.

Phạm Ngọc Duy, a research assistant at Centre for Educational Assessment, University of Massachusetts Amherst, the United States, told Việt Nam News that the new assessment system was a good sign for ASEAN universities.

“It creates a common playground for ASEAN universities which already share many similarities in terms of development level,” he said

“Regional universities will also have more opportunities to share experiences in the field of quality assessment as well as exchange students. It may also be the first step in creating a new generation of students who are qualified to work cross-border in the ASEAN region after graduation,” he said.

ASEAN University Network is an independent organisation, established in 1995 with the goal of promoting human resource development among Southeast Asian nations and their partners. AUN-QA network is a group of chief quality officers appointed by the AUN member universities to co-ordinate activities to realise the mission of harmonising educational standards and seeking improvement of academic quality of universities in ASEAN.

Four Vietnamese universities, including Vietnam National University - Hà Nội, Vietnam National University - HCM City, Cần Thơ University, and Foreign Trade University, are members of AUN-QA.

By the end of 2016, ANU-QA will have conducted assessment on more than 220 undergraduate and graduate programmes in 28 universities in 8 ASEAN countries, including 61 undergraduate and graduate programmes in Việt Nam. – VNS