AEQES and the Quality of Education
In 2005, the "European Standard and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area", also named ESG, were adopted by the members of the European Union within the frame of the Bologna Treaty reformation.
These ESG form the shared foundation to ensure that the national higher education systems can claim ownership of the Quality assurance.
They were revised in May 2015 by the Education Ministers of the signatory countries during the Elevan conference.
They set objectives to reach and guidelines on how to evaluate cursus, as well as how should work the quality system within the Institutions.
In order to meet these set goals, Belgium has created its own agency, named "AEQUES", the Agency for the higher education quality assessment, which role is to guarantee the implementation of a quality management system in each higher education establishment of the FWB.
Basically, what does it?
- AEQES proposes a formative and interdisciplinary approach, for each program.
- It doesn't make any ranking, nor give a score or accreditation.
- It requests that higher education establishments should be presented in its own management board.
- It has its own executive committee which is in charge of the Agency management.
- AEQES is also evaluated.
