The Second UaReNet Conference of credential evaluators (18.04.2024, online)
On April 18, 2024, a representative of the National Erasmus+ Office – Ukraine took part in the Second Conference of the Ukrainian Network for the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications UaReNet (Ukrainian Recognition Network). The event was organised with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and funding of the Council of Europe.
The Second UaReNet Conference of Credential Evaluators was dedicated to sharing best practices of educational qualifications recognition, review of monitoring methods and results of the HEIs decisions as competent authorities on recognition, discussion of automatic recognition and substantial difference concepts, conceptions of “access” and “admission” to the higher education programmes.
The Conference took place in a mixed format. The participants of the event could join the Conference both offline (the hotel “Ukraine”, Kyiv) and in online formats (Zoom platform). 50 representatives from 32 HEIs of Ukraine were present in the conference hall of the hotel “Ukraine”; more than 100 credential evaluators from 66 HEIs of Ukraine joined the work of the Conference in online format.
Director of ENIC Ukraine Viktoriya SERGIYENKO opened the Conference. Mrs. Sergiyenko remarked:
“The number of the education institutions that carry out the recognition procedure individually is gradually increasing. In 2019, from the total number of the recognition cases 10% of the certificates were registered by the education institutions, and in 2023, our education institutions carried out the recognition procedure individually in 50% of the total number of cases.”
Deputy Minister of Education and Science, responsible for higher education, Member of Erasmus+ HERE Team, Mychailo WYNNYCKYJ greeted the participants of the Conference and remarked the incredible role of education for the society, importance of its credibility; concentrated on the necessity of fair foreign qualifications recognition development.
“Implementation of innovations to the recognition process, the role of technologies enhances the procedure efficiency, improves the transparency of recognition and students feedback action. I myself remember the way I went through the recognition procedure of my education obtained abroad. In the beginning of the 2000s, this procedure was intimidating; today it’s simple, fast and easy. Thank all of you therefore”, the Deputy Minister emphasised in his speech.
The foreign partners of ENIC Ukraine – the Head of the Education Department of the Council of Europe Villano QIRIAZI and the President of the ENIC Bureau at the ENIC-NARIC Networks Chiara FINOCCHIETTI welcomed the Conference participants in an online format.
The Head of the Education Department of the Council of Europe Villano QIRIAZI expressed support words to the Ukrainian people and noted his sincere admiration for the dedication of educators who work in the challenging conditions for ensuring educational students’ needs, keep on implicating innovative technologies and demonstrate great devotion to their work. Mr. Qiriazi remarked that he is proud of support of the Council of Europe to the Ukrainian project UaReNet Network that provided comprehensive support to both the Ukrainian and foreign credential evaluators.
The President of the ENIC Bureau at the ENIC-NARIC Networks Chiara FINOCCHIETTI expressed gratitude to ENIC Ukraine and emphasised the importance of the UaReNet project for the international ENIC-NARIC Network.
Honorary guests of the Conference from the MES of Ukraine, namely, the Director General of International Cooperation Directorate Albina TSIATKOVSKA and the State Expert of the Directorate of Vocational Pre-Higher, Higher Education Vitaliy NOSOK, addressed their speeches to the Conference participants. Head of the PR and International Cooperation Department of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance Maksym FOLOMIEIEV, Deputy Head of the State Service of Education Quality of Ukraine Oleksandr YAKYMENKO and Director of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education Olena SHAPOVALOVA addressed with speeches to the event participants.
Svitlana SHYTIKOVA, Сoordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine, introduced the participants to the opportunities of the Erasmus+ Programme for Ukraine and highlighted that the European Commission has been providing a strong support to Ukraine via Erasmus+ from the 1st days of brutal invasion of Russian Federation into Ukraine by special measures, flexibility, digital tools, open educational courses and resources, access to the professional networks. Moreover, the European Commission provided additional budget for calls with the focus on Ukraine under Cooperation Partnerships and opened new opportunities for Ukrainian organisations as associated partners. Thus it is important to ensure the complementarity between different actions under Erasmus+.
At the end of the event the participants took part in the workshops and had the opportunity to discuss the topics of automatic recognition and substantial difference concepts, conceptions of “access” and “admission” to the higher education programmes.
Prepared using materials of the ENIC UKRAINE National Information Centre of Academic Mobility.