The Chief Executive of the National Authority for Qualifications and Quality Assurance of Education & Training Dr Jawaher Al Mudhahki stressed the role of international quality assurance networks and associations in the education sector in identifying cross-border challenges facing the development of education and promoting strategies for the provision of quality education through various educational agreements and initiatives.
In her opening speech at the 2013 QA Islamic Seminar on the of Monday, 18 October 2013, which is hosted by NAQQAET under the name "Promoting Regional Cooperation across the Islamic World", Dr. Jawaher Al-Mudhahki, Chief Executive of NAQQAET,.
The higher education sector is one of the main pillars for the development of human resources, she explained. With the growing pace and the expanding aspects of development worldwide, the development of this sector became a priority for quality assurance and receives a great deal of attention by international quality assurance authorities and associations which seek integrated solutions for the quality of education and learning outcomes which serve the development objectives of our communities, she added.
Dr. Al-Mudhahki considered the Seminar a vital step in the endeavours of the Association of Quality Assurance Agencies of The Islamic World (QA Islamic), which aims to support opportunities for cooperation between education quality assurance authorities in Islamic countries and spread the concepts and applications of quality.
NAQQAET has been a member of QA Islamic since the establishment of the association in 2011. The members of QA Islamic comprise 16 Arab and Islamic countries, including the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Seminar discussed three major themes, namely: the frameworks and nature of qualifications, the concepts of external quality assurance and the trends and issues in cross-border higher education. The Seminar underlined the importance of providing higher education opportunities which conform to international standards and make such opportunities available across countries.
Sessions addressed the abovementioned themes through the presentation of 12 papers by select international and regional experts in the field of implementing quality systems and concepts, as well as executives of Arab, regional and international quality assurance authorities, associations and organisations.
More than 90 participants attended the Seminar, who comprised members of QA Islamic and representatives of domestic and foreign higher education institutions.
On Sunday, 27 October 2013, the Board of Directors of QA Islamic convened on the sidelines of the Seminar to discuss and outline the association's strategy.
A round-table meeting is scheduled for today, Tuesday, 29 October 2013, to discuss the major themes discussed during the Seminar.
“The initiatives of the national education and training reform project made Bahrain one of the most important countries in the field of human resource development under the directions of its wise leadership,” she said.
According to Dr. Al Mudhahki, the success of such projects is subject to the commitment of people involved in those two vital sectors who are keen to do their best to provide Bahraini citizens with the best education and training opportunities to keep abreast with the Kingdom’s economic development initiatives.
During the meeting, the QAAET BoD approved a suggestion to construct an English Problem-Solving examination (Applied Mathematics) for the private schools taking part in the National Examinations. This will enforce the Cooperation Agreement made between Higher Education Council and QAAET to use the NEU’s grade 12 examination results as part of their entrance requirements in different universities in Bahrain.
