Comparing ENQA, British, German & Albanian Standards of Quality in Higher Education

Abstract

The development and enhancement of life conditions and standards of living, which are enabled by progress in technology, social life, cultural life, scientific researches and new inventions is very tightly and positively connected with higher education. The desire to have better life conditions has stimulated people toward new technological and social inventions which have made life easier. This desire have put people in an infinity road of continuously developing new standards of education to have a more qualitative education leading to those nowadays technological and social progresses making world a fast changing environment. This cycle is bringing us year by year a more qualitative education system based on the competition of universities, states and continents to be the first choice of the students around the world. Universities and Academics in collaboration with university accreditation agencies and universities quality control organizations are working so hard to maintain and increase standards of quality in higher education in their hometowns. Maintaining and assuring qualitative education is a basic point in order to have credibility in the educative institutions and national educative system. This study is covering the examination of the quality of standards in higher education in European countries which are part of ENQA having a harmonized higher system of education for more than 10 years. Also a detailed study of German higher education system, as an example of a country being part of ENQA, examining standards and criterion evaluation of the quality of higher education in this country. The study except of examination will compare these standards in ENQA countries with British and Albanian quality standards in higher education. Britain’s organization which is covering the evaluation of the higher education system and controlling the fulfillment of the standards and criterion is QAA and it has slightly different standards when compared to ENQA. In this study it has been investigated the whole higher education system of the region and the effectiveness and quality of education in the universities and colleges of UK. Albania is part of ENQA from 18 September 2003 (Golloshi, 2013) when the Bologna Declaration was signed. But Albania because of being a developing country is having difficulties in accomplishing all the standards and criterion as European Countries. This decade has been very crucial for changes in education system in Albania and the system is being developed year by year. The study examines and compares the fulfillment and quality of standards in Albania with those of other European countries and also will compare the higher education system of the small developing country of Albania with those of Great Britain. Keywords: Higher Education, Quality, Standards, Criterion, ENQA, Britain, Albania