Global University Associations Forum (GUAF)’s Webinar “Challenges and Opportunities in Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education: Global Perspectives”

Following the release of Joint Position of the Global University Associations Forum (GUAF) on the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education on 22 March 2024, GUAF members reaffirmed its support for this groundbreaking convention in the “Challenges and Opportunities in Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education: Global Perspectives” webinar organised by the Association of Colombian Universities (ASCUN) on 5 June 2024. The webinar opened the floor for members of GUAF and related stakeholders to share, discuss, and reflect on opportunities, challenges, and current operational terrain for the adoption of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education.

The webinar welcomed:

• Mr. Zhang Daliang - Vice President of China Associations of Higher Education (CAHE) and President of GUAF
• Ms. Vanja Gutovic, Secretary to the Global Recognition Convention, UNESCO
• Ms. Chiara Finocchietti, President of the ENIC-NARIC networks, Director of the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre CIMEA
• Ms. Elizabeth Bernal, Secretariat of the Association of Colombian Universities (ASCUN) and Latin American & the Caribbean Space for Higher Education (ENLACES)
• Mr. Walid Salameh, Senior Consultant of Association of Arab Universities (AArU) and Vice President for Academic Affairs of Princess Sumaya University for Technology
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhamad Saiful Bahri Bin Yusoff, AUN Expert on Qualifications, Frameworks, Systems, and Management and Director of Centre for Development of Academic Excellence (CDAE), Universiti Sains Malaysia

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Zhang Daliang emphasised the crucial role of qualifications recognition for higher education, not only as an integral part of each country’s education system, but also as a bridge to facilitate the flow of resources and talents. With globalisation on acceleration, the recognition mechanisms are facing unprecedented challenges, whether from the difference in standard, in bureaucratic procedures, in comparison systems, or in cultural backgrounds. However, with challenges come opportunities, emphasised Mr. Zhang. The development in technology has shown the potential to drive the improvement for qualifications recognition. Mr. Zhang expressed his hope that this webinar could be the venue for all stakeholders to share success stories, case studies, and innovative ideas to contribute to the promotion of fair and transparent qualifications globally and expand the visions for collaborative action.

Following the welcome remarks by Mr. Zhang, the webinar was delighted by the line-up of speakers who took turns sharing their perspective on the ratification of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education and challenges and opportunities in their region’s context.

The UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education

The webinar first welcomed Ms. Vanja Gutovic, Secretary to the Global Recognition Convention, UNESCO, who shared with the webinar the overview and the role of the Global Recognition Convention in complementing the five regional conventions already in place.

Beginning in 1997, the UNESCO has introduced five regional conventions on recognition of qualifications to serve as a legal instrument and framework to facilitate the recognition of higher education qualifications and enhanced inter-university student mobility. The five regional conventions include:

• Lisbon Convention
• Tokyo Convention
• Addis Convention
• Buenos Aires Convention
• Arab States Convention

However, as the number of higher education enrollment continues to grow and 50% of students are outside of their home country, a framework to ensure fair recognition of the students’ qualifications at a global level has become all the more important.

Adopted in 2019 and entered into force in 2023, the UNESCO Global Recognition Convention expands on the five regional conventions to ensure individuals’ rights to assessment of their qualifications in a timely and affordable manner on the global level. 

Following this Convention, State Parties shall recognise:

• Qualifications giving access to higher education
• Higher education qualifications
• Partial studies
• Prior learning
• Non-traditional learning modes
• Refugees/displaced persons, even in case where documentation is lacking

Unlike the prior five regional conventions, the Global Convention also took into account qualifications of education delivered through online, blended, and long-distance modes of learning to respond to the changing landscape of education. The convention also opens ground for the recognition of qualifications held by refugees and displaced persons even in cases where documentation is lacking.

Following this convention, State Parties must provide information on their higher education system, qualifications and quality assurance mechanism, and establish a national information centre to facilitate cross-border qualifications recognition.

The global convention is complementary to the regional conventions. One does not supersede the other, and nothing in the global convention shall be deemed to derogate from any provisions more favourable to recognition.

Ms. Gutovic emphasised that with the Global Convention in place, the windows of opportunity would be wide opened for states and their respective higher education sector to position themselves as destinations for learning and excellence, attract the flows of scholars and talents, and be a part of decision making at the global level.

ENIC-NARIC: European Good Practices for National Information Centres 

Following Ms. Gutovic, the webinar got to hear from Ms. Chiara Finocchietti, president of the ENIC-NARIC Networks. 

ENIC-NARIC is a network of national information centres on recognition of qualifications based on the Lisbon Convention. ENIC-NARIC provides information on the national education system and qualifications recognition to stakeholders in cross-border academic and talent mobility. This includes  students, higher education institutions, employers, and credential evaluators. 

ENIC-NARIC is present in 56 parties to the Lisbon Convention, and not all of its members are in the same type or forms. Some exist within a ministry, while some are independent organisations. However, despite their differences, all are united by the same mission and mandate to facilitate the implementation of the recognition convention.

Ms. Finocchietti highlighted four actions ENIC-NARIC have achieved as a network of information centres:

1. Implementation

ENIC-NARIC supports consistent implementation and enforcement of the regional convention. For the legislation to bring forth results, tools are needed to turn articles and principles into working practices. An example of this include ENIC-NARIC’s works to define ‘substantial differences’ which are crucial elements in the recognition process outlined in the regional convention.

2. Professionalism

As legislation is enforced by people and professionals; the right skill sets, the right competencies, and the right capacities are crucial for the legislation to be enforced seamlessly. ENIC-NARIC supports training and capacity building for personnel of higher education institutions, not only in terms of IT capabilities, but also for credential evaluators and relevant personnels to create common ground for good recognition practices.

3. Cooperation

ENIC-NARIC saw the importance of networks of professionals to create a sound and functioning community of recognition practices. In Italy, ENIC-NARIC organised micro-credential courses for professionals working in higher education institutions. Following the completion of the course, ENIC-NARIC established a national association of credential evaluators to keep the network of these professionals connected.

Cooperation between different authoritative bodies and higher education institutions is also crucial to the recognition process, and Ms. Finocchietti also took a moment to shed light on the role of the European University Association (EUA) in facilitating cooperation at the international and regional level as well.

4. Monitoring and Taking Action

Monitoring is essential to keeping track of progress and tasks at hands as well as in taking action. In 2016, ENIC-NARIC took an active role in the monitoring of the qualifications recognition process for refugees without documentation and called out for actions and practices needed.

The extensive actions by ENIC-NARIC stood as a testament to the complexity and possibility for  qualifications recognition to be performed and achieved through the collaboration of relevant bodies across different countries. 

Advancement in Latin America and the Role of Universities Associations

Ms. Elizabeth Bernal, as the secretary general of the ASCUN and the executive secretary of the ENLACES, agreed on the importance of the Global Convention which extends beyond the benefits to individuals seeking academic destination overseas but also to the fostering of talents mobility and academic cooperation on the global scale.

23 countries of the Latin America region have adopted the new regional convention on the recognition of studies, degrees, and diplomas of higher education in 2019. This regional convention entered into force in 2022 with the ratification by the governments in Uruguay, Cuba, Granada, and Santa Sede. In Colombia, the convention is awaiting presidential sanction to become law.

However, Ms. Bernal emphasised that law is not the only step to propel the convention into force. Albeit the lack of clear roles in the convention, university association can be the catalyst for change and facilitators of collaboration between educational institutions in different countries. University associations can work together to promote the standards of quality and transparency, support the harmonisation of higher education systems at the international level, and call for the utilisation of digital tools and platforms that facilitate the verification and validation of degrees and diplomas.

At the same time, university associations can initiate dialogue with governments on the importance of the infrastructure and resources for qualifications recognition, promoting personnel development for the recognition process as well as supporting the existing network of professionals working in recognition, and as mentioned by Ms. Finocchietti, Ms. Bernal shared a similar perspective for university associations to take the role in monitoring the progress in the implementation of the recognition convention and ultimately shape the role of university associations in this effort to realise the global recognition of higher education qualifications.

Digital Technologies for Qualifications Recognition

Mr. Walid Salameh, senior consultant to AArU and Vice President for Academic Affairs of Princess Sumaya University for Technology, highlighted several key challenges AArU is addressing, including a vast array of education systems in the Arab states, differing standard curriculum and accreditation processes, and regulations and policies pertaining to the recognition of foreign qualifications. These challenges have resulted in the barriers to the mobility of students and professionals as well as impeding international collaborations.

However, with challenges, also came opportunities as pointed out by Mr. Salameh. Such opportunities included the development and implementation of regional qualifications framework to facilitate recognition process through common reference point, the utilisation of digitalisation tools to create comprehensive databases and verification systems, international collaborations to strengthen partnerships with global accreditation bodies, and capacity building for academic and administrative staff on international qualifications and recognition processes.

Certain initiatives have already been kickstarted by AArU to develop a comprehensive Arab qualification framework that aligns with the international standards and launch collaborative projects to create a more robust mechanism for quality assurance and accreditation with international partners. AArU has also explored digital platforms as possible aides in the verification and authentication of academic credentials, and  regular training and workshops are being conducted by senior experts to equip institutions with knowledge and tools necessary for effective qualifications and recognitions as well.

Challenges and Opportunities in Southeast Asia

Last but not the least, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhamad Saiful Bahri Bin Yusoff, as the AUN Expert on Qualifications, Frameworks, Systems, and Management as well as the Medicine Subject Area Group Coordinator of the CALOHEA Project, shared with the webinar his insights from the CALOHEA Projects, the overlapping visions of CALOHEA and the Global convention as well as the challenges and opportunities Southeast Asian universities face in the development and implementation of regional qualifications recognition mechanisms.

The CALOHEA Project or the “Measuring and Comparing Achievements of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Asia” contributes to the internationalisation of ASEAN higher education through the development of a series of interrelated measures for improving recognition of higher education degrees. 

To the CALOHEA, recognition of qualifications serve four utilities, which could be mapped in relation to the eight principles of qualification recognition outlined in the Global Convention:

• Comparability: The degree to which qualifications from different educational systems can be assessed as equivalent in terms of level, learning outcomes, and quality
• Compatibility: The extent to which qualifications from different educational systems can fit into each other’s frameworks, allowing for seamless integration and recognition
• Transferability: The ability of qualifications and credits to be moved and accepted across different educational institutions or employment sectors
• Verifiability: The assurance that qualifications are authentic, credible, and can be confirmed through reliable and transparent processes

Through a series of 14 National Meetings, the CALOHEA Project were able to work with academic personnel and university staff from across ASEAN to finetune the recognition measures to the current operational ground in ASEAN. Some challenges found in the process as highlighted by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhamad Saiful Bahri Bin Yusoff included differing educational systems and standards across countries, bureaucratic inertia, varying levels of commitment, digital divide that hinders equitable access to the benefits of qualification recognitions, and cultural and linguistic differences in the understanding and interpreting of qualifications.

However, despite the challenges posed, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhamad Saiful Bahri Bin Yusoff underscored that certain opportunities could be seized from the adoption of the Global Convention and the more comprehensive flows of talents and resources such as enhanced mobility for students and academic staffs through standardised frameworks, potential joint research projects and degree programmes between universities of different countries, and robust quality assurance mechanisms in relation to international standards.

In his presentation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhamad Saiful Bahri Bin Yusoff outlined certain strategic actions that could be taken to enhance and accelerate the implementation of recognition qualifications in the region, including capacity building for credential evaluators alongside the development of clear guidelines, utilisation of technological solutions to streamline the recognition process, harmonisation of policies and agreements between countries for smoother recognition process, and a call for engagement from all relevant parties including educational institutions, governments, employers, and students.

The ASEAN University Network, as a member of GUAF, would like to express its gratitude to ASCUN for the organisation of this webinar which allowed common areas of interests, opportunities, and challenges to be located. With these global perspectives from stakeholders from across different regions, the AUN Secretariat is optimistic for more impactful steps to be taken by GUAF and all participating actors in support for the adoption of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education.

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