A European Dimension to Educational Quality Assurance?

Robert Miklós Babirad

1          Introduction

A Eurydice report released on February 10, 2015 offered a review of how schools providing compulsory education across the EU’s Member States are being evaluated in order that future educational quality may be improved through the development of effective quality assurance systems.[1] The report’s paramount goal is that of providing information concerning how schools are being evaluated with the objective of providing for the future enhancement of the educational quality being offered to students throughout the EU.[2]

The report also importantly acknowledged recognition at the European level, for achieving the objective of enhanced educational quality assurance.[3] The European Commission was invited by the Council in 2014 to support and strengthen Member States in developing their respective quality assurance arrangements for schools providing compulsory education.[4] Support was also offered by the Council for promoting quality educational assurance with a “European dimension” that would facilitate the evaluating of schools across Member State borders, and which does not appear to be limited any longer to institutions of higher education.[5]

However, the issue arises whether there can actually be a meaningful “European dimension” to educational quality assurance (particularly with regard to schools providing compulsory education), given the differing interpretations of quality assurance, which presently exist across the EU’s Member States.[6]

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