Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy has become the venue for holding an important educational event – the regional seminar “The Current State of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education in Ukraine: Challenges and Prospects”.

The event was held under the auspices of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance (NAQA) and brought together a wide range of participants – representatives of higher education institutions, national organisations, and education experts.

Opening the seminar, Rector of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy Oleksandr Cherevko welcomed the participants and noted that it was a great honour for the university to host such an event.

“Our scholars are people who improve education every day, despite extremely difficult conditions. That is why it is so important for us to understand the philosophy of these changes, to grasp all the legislative, European integration, and moral-ethical processes that drive them. This event reaffirmed the readiness of Ukrainian educators, and in particular, representatives of universities in the Cherkasy region, to be at the forefront of quality assurance and modernisation processes in Ukrainian higher education in cooperation with the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance to achieve European standards. Such a dialogue helps to build an internal quality assurance system, improve the regulatory framework in order to enhance the competitiveness of our graduates in the labour market.

The active participation of the university community that gathered for the seminar demonstrates a genuine interest in developing the quality of higher education in Ukraine and the need to adequately respond to the challenges of wartime.”

Oleksandr Shamrai, Deputy Head of the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration, spoke about the transformation of the quality assurance system in Ukrainian higher education:

“The education quality assurance system is gradually shifting from formal control to real educational outcomes. The National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance plays an important role in this process. However, there are also serious challenges such as insufficient funding, bureaucratic barriers, and staff shortages. Therefore, the development of a culture of education quality should become a priority in every university.”

The Head of the National Agency, Andrii Butenko, focused on the need for daily work on education quality within universities, and revealed the essence of the issue of improving the work of the internal quality assurance system using examples of typical shortcomings in the design of educational programmes:

“One of the main messages we are trying to convey today is that the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance is precisely the Agency for quality assurance, and not merely for programme accreditation. Our key task is to promote a system of quality assurance in higher education that meets European standards. Accreditation will not be difficult if universities treat it as part of their daily routine rather than something to prepare for only in the final weeks before experts arrive. The quality assurance system must be holistic in universities and model everyday academic activity,” Andrii Petrovych noted.

The seminar programme was rich and focused on the most relevant issues for guarantors of educational programmes and heads of HEIs.

Ivan Nazarov, Deputy Head of the NAQA, presented the mechanisms for post-accreditation monitoring of educational programmes.

Head of the NAQA Secretariat Oleksandr Khymenko focused on the current issues regarding accreditation certificates of educational programmes.

Olena Knysh, a trainer of the NAQA, provided clarifications on the use of criteria as a self-assessment tool for HEIs.

At the end of the event, a discussion was held, which became a productive platform for exchanging experience and addressing current challenges and prospects for the development of the higher education quality assurance system.

During the seminar, Andrii Butenko gave an interview to the student television network with the participation of Tetiana Bondarenko, Head of the Department of Journalism, Advertising, and PR Technologies, emphasising the importance of involving students in quality assurance processes.

Representatives of the National Agency had the opportunity to visit the university’s material and technical facilities, explore one of its highlights – “The Museum of the Ukrainian Rushnyk (Embroidered Towel)”, and view an exhibition of works by students of the Department of Fine and Decorative Arts of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy.

Press Office of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy