Call for Participants – Quality Assurance workshop on the links between External Quality Assurance (EQA) and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) to foster effective development of national quality assurance systems in Africa, Guinea, 19-21 July 2023

 

• Context and rationale

The Francophone African Network of National Quality Assurance Agencies (RAFANAQ) together with the African Quality Assurance Network (AfriQAN) and the National Quality Assurance Agency of Guinea are organizing a quality assurance workshop.

The Francophone African Network of National Quality Assurance Agencies (RAFANAQ) was created in February 2020 in Dakar, Senegal. The network is composed of the following full members: CNES (Burundi), AMAQ-ES (Mauritania), AMAQ-Sup (Mali), ANAQ (Guinea), ANAQ-Sup (Niger), ANEAQ (Morocco), ANAQ-ESU (DRC ), ANAQES (Togo) and ANAQ-Sup (Senegal), as well as associate members from the directorates in charge of quality assurance in the Ministries of higher education in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Madagascar. The network’s mission is to help, guarantee, maintain, develop, and improve the quality of higher education and research in French-speaking Africa by strengthening the work of national quality assurance agencies and other organisations with similar objectives.

 

The African Quality Assurance Network (AfriQAN) is a pan-African network that has been set up in 2007 to help institutions concerned with Quality Assurance in higher education in Africa through capacity building and practice sharing. The network is committed to the enhancement of the quality of higher education and to collaborating with similar organizations on other continents.

The National Quality Assurance Agency in Guinea (ANAQ-GN) is a regulatory body whose mission is to assess the quality of education and research offered by Higher Education and Scientific Research Institutions, Technical, and Vocational Education institutions as well as the accreditation of institutions and programmes in Guinea.

Since their creation, RAFANAQ and AfriQAN have held many meetings and quality assurance training workshops. They also developed action plans that included among others capacity building in internal and external quality assurance, and the development of synergies with other quality assurance players.

In order to implement the above plans, RAFANAQ in partnership with AfriQAN and ANAQ-Guinea would like to organise a quality assurance training workshop titled ‘The links between External Quality Assurance (EQA) and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) to foster the effective development of national quality assurance systems in Africa“.

 

• Objectives of the training workshop

The main objectives are to:

1. Retrace the history of the development of quality assurance, with a special focus on Africa ;
2. Share recent trends and developments in quality assurance, with a focus on Africa;
3. Strengthen participants’ skills in external quality assurance, in the management of procedures, and in the development of assessment tools, particularly those related to distance learning, doctoral and research training;
4. Identify links between the EQA and the IQA to promote continuous improvement of quality higher education and research;
5. Share best practices in terms of ethics and professional conduct in quality assurance;
6. Promote the exchange and sharing of data and practices in quality assurance;
7. Strengthen collaboration among

 

• Expected results

Training participants should be able to:

1. Understand and analyse the developments, dynamics, and trends in quality assurance in Africa
2. Master the management and the use of evaluation tools, especially in the assessment of distance education, doctoral training, and research areas;
3. Expand their networks of external and internal quality assurance practitioners.

 

• Workshop methodology

The objectives of this workshop will be achieved through lead lectures, intensive participant interaction over carefully selected cases, and other materials in a process facilitated by renowned Resource Persons.

 

• Duration, venue, target audience, training language

The training workshop will be held from Wednesday 19 to Friday 21 July 2023, in Conakry, Republic of Guinea.

The target audience is as follows:

• The in charge of assessments and accreditation within quality assurance agencies and other national quality assurance structures;
• Heads of internal quality assurance units in higher education and research institutions.

 

The main training language is French. However, a French-English-French translation service will be provided for English-speaking participants.

• Cost of participation

As the workshop is organised with the support of ANAQ-Guinea, the latter will provide important facilities which include:

1. Local logistical support;
2. Payment of some workshop expenses to reduce the participation cost.

 

For a total of thirty (30) expected participants, the cost of participation per person is as follows:

1. A return air ticket (Country of origin- Conakry-Guinea- Country of origin),
2. A lump sum of 550,000 FCFA ($903) for 4 nights of hotel accommodation, training, and meals.

 

N.B.: Breakdown of the package

1. 4 nights’ hotel accommodation at the rate of CFAF 50,000/night/person, i.e. CFAF 200,000 ($328);
2. 4 dinners at CFAF 18,000/person, i.e. CFAF 72,000 ($118);
3. 3-morning coffee breaks at the rate of CFAF 6,000/person, i.e. CFAF 18,000 ($30);
4. 3 buffet lunches at a cost of 20,000 FCFA/person, i.e. 60,000 FCFA ($99)
5. Hall hire, airport shuttle, materials, training, and translation costs: CFAF 200,000/person ($328).

 

Each participant will be responsible for his or her own air ticket and the above package.

• Methods of payment

First method: the participant may pay the full amount directly to the organisers’ bank account indicated below.

Second method: the participant may also pay the amount of 278,000 FCFA ($450) representing the training fee, coffee break, and lunch to the organisers into the bank account indicated below and pay the remaining fees directly to the hotel.

The deadline for payment of the training fees is Tuesday 11^th July 2023. The proof of payment must be sent to the following e-mail addresses: abdou-lahate.cisse@anaqsup.sn, mejuru@aau.org or sk.fofana@anaq-edu.org.

The bank details are as follows:

Account number: N° 001-190-2011000148-71

Account name/title: PGT/Dépôts des Services Publics. Banque Centrale de la République de Guinée, Conakry.

Swift Code: REPCGNGNXXX

Bank address: Rue KA 015, 12 Bv. du Commerce, 6è avenue Almamya Kaloum – BP 692 Conakry – Guinea.

 

• Other useful information

The training workshop will also be marked by a tourist visit/dinner in honour of the participants organised by ANAQ-Guinea.

For all inquiries, please send an e-mail to the following people:

• Ms Juru: mejuru@aau.org;
• Mr Fofana: fofana@anaq-edu.org;
• Mr Cissé: abdou-lahate.cisse@anaqsup.sn