THEQC becomes ENQA member

The quality assurance endeavors in the Turkish higher education system that started in the early 2000s gained a new momentum with the foundation of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC), which was initially established within the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) and was reorganized as a national body with administrative and financial independence.

THEQC’s membership application to the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), which was filed as part of THEQC’s vision of becoming an effective and internationally recognized organization in the field of quality assurance in higher education, was approved by the ENQA Board on April 28, 2020. Evaluated by ENQA against a number of benchmarks such as official status, policies, external evaluation activities, independence, resources and internal quality assurance system; THEQC has been granted 5-year membership.

ENQA is an umbrella organization representing the quality assurance organizations of the countries in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In the framework of its mission, ENQA contributes to the maintenance and improvement of quality in higher education across Europe, and aims to represent its members at the European and international levels, develop quality assurance systems and disseminate information and expertise.

Immediately after becoming an ENQA affiliate in February 2019, THEQC kicked off its ENQA full membership efforts and filed its membership application to the association by submitting a self-assessment report in August 2019. In December 2019, ENQA review panel paid a site visit to the Council. During the 4-day site visit, the panel examined all the processes and implementations of THEQC with the aid of the Council’s knowledge-based systems, and conducted interviews with 15 focus groups consisting of 64 people, including THEQC President, members, consultants and employees; representatives of relevant ministries, university rectors and vice rectors, team leaders of the Institutional External Evaluation Program, presidents of accreditation agencies, students and external stakeholders.

Aiming to become a quality assurance organization that can adapt to global dynamics by taking Turkey’s national priorities and agenda into account, THEQC has taken a major step in its internationalization strategy with the ENQA membership. Maintaining a successful internationalization strategy so far, THEQC has also become a member of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN), and expects the results of its CHEA and INQAAHE applications.

As THEQC, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has always closely followed THEQC’s activities and provided full support. We also would like to thank the CoHE President Prof. Dr. Yekta Saraç for the leadership he displayed in the establishment of THEQC and the support he provided to the quality assurance endeavors in higher education. Last but not least, we thank our Council members, consultants, international experts, employees and stakeholders for their hard work and dedication throughout the process. We hope that this membership will bring new opportunities for the Turkish higher education system.