On 12 and 13 September 2022, the Quality Assurance Agency of Higher Education (ASCAL) participated in the Education Congress “Challenges of Quality and Inclusive Education towards European Integration,” held at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana.

The purpose of this Congress was to bring together, in a common forum for discussion, a wide range of stakeholders in the field of education, including pre-university education, higher education, scientific research, agencies, national and international partners, representatives of civil society, donors supporting education projects, and other relevant stakeholders.

In the panels in which ASCAL participated, the discussion topics focused on the internationalization of education and future challenges, higher education and the internationalization process, scientific research and innovation, quality assurance in higher education, and other related topics.  

During the Congress, a dedicated panel focused on quality assurance in higher education, with keynote speakers Mr. Douglas Blackstock, President of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), and Mr. Colin Tuck, Director of the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR). In their remarks, they highlighted the progress made by ASCAL in improving quality in higher education, as well as the challenges ahead in achieving membership in ENQA and registration in EQAR.

The presentations delivered by the other panel speakers were also received with great interest: Ms. Shqiponja Telhaj, Chair of the Accreditation Board; Mr. Kita Sallabanda, Member of the Accreditation Board; Mr. Naim Gashi, Director of the Accreditation Agency of Kosovo; Mr. Manuel Giner Nogueras, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain; and Mr. Francesco Defilippis from the Polytechnic University of Bari.