The RA Education development plan until 2030 envisages increasing the professional employment rate of alumni to 90%. For this purpose, ANQA has developed a formative assessment model and initiated an international peer review of the RA VET system, targeting employment-oriented formative assessment.
On May 21-23, the Republic of Armenia will host the ETF Forum for Quality Assurance in VET titled "Quality Assurance of Employment-oriented Formative Assessment". During the three-day visit, esteemed experts from 12 countries will observe the RA VET system and provide enhancement-led recommendations on formative assessment. Today, at a press conference in the "Armenpress" press hall, Deputy Minister of the RA ESCS Ministry Araksia Svajyan, ANQA’s Director Ruben Topchyan, and Specialist in VET policies and systems Munir Baati presented the details about the upcoming international peer review.
"Currently, the education quality is a primary focus not just for students and parents, but also for employers. The employer expects an effective workforce. Today, there is a global emphasis on the formative assessment, which entails students engaging in practical professional work during their studies and receiving feedback from the employer teachers. The process aims to enhance their capacities, ensuring their skills are aligned with the requirements of the labour market upon graduation", announced ANQA’s Director Ruben Topchyan.
"Internationalisation is one of the key directions outlined in the RA Education development plan until 2030. We emphasise that VET institutions should also engage in the internationalisation process. We also underscore the accreditation process in terms of quality assurance. There are more than 40 accredited VET institutions, including six non-state ones. Accreditation not only guarantees quality, but also enables institutions to analyse their processes and receive external feedback. All of these working together will ensure the expected education quality", stated Deputy Minister of the RA ESCS Ministry Araksia Svajyan.
"We offer recommendations to our partners upon their request", noted Specialist in VET policies and systems Munir Baati. "Quality assurance experts from Georgia, Serbia, Israel, Morocco and other countries will take part in the upcoming peer review. At the end of the visit, they will provide recommendations, identifying the existing challenges and suggesting ways to overcome them. The ESCS Ministry and the ANQA will decide how to implement the recommendations", added Mr. Baati.
"ANQA’s model of formative assessment involves employers. They should participate in the educational process, carry out formative assessment as they know what professional competencies are needed. Knowledge should be gained not for memorisation, but for practical use", noted Dr. Topchyan.
Ruben Topchyan stressed that ANQA encourages employers to direct their employees to VET institutions for cooperation with teachers. Thus, this approach enables the transformation of knowledge into competencies, with students receiving feedback during the learning process and meeting the requirements of the labour market upon graduation.
"Following the recommendations from international experts, ANQA and the entire VET system will undertake their implementation. I hope that by 2030 we will approach the established milestone", mentioned Ruben Topchyan.
The ETF established a Forum for Quality Assurance in VET in 2017. This Forum is a transnational collaboration initiative between 20 national institutions with VET quality assurance mandates in selected ETF partner countries. The peer visit is expected to contribute to the modernisation and enhancement of the quality assurance system in the RA VET sector and the internationalisation of the country’s best practices. ANQA has been a member of the ETF Forum for Quality Assurance since 2020.