Target area:	Linking Higher Education & Society
Sub-target area:	Practice-oriented Education
Target countries:	Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
Duration:	15.10.2012 – 14.10.2014
Partners:	Partners from EU: 1.       University of Koblenz-Landau [Koblenz, Germany] (Coordinator) 2.       University of Trento [Italy] 3.       Maria Curie-Skłodowska University [Lublin, Poland] 4.       University of Algarve [Faro, Portugal] 5.       National University of Córdoba [Cordoba, Spain]        6.       Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities [Utrecht, Netherlands] 7.       World University Service (WUS) Austria  [Graz, Austria]   Partners from Tajikistan: 8.          Ministry of Education of Republic of Tajikistan [Dushanbe]      9.          Khujand State University 10.      Khorog State University 11.      Kulob State University 12.     State Committee on TV and Broadcasting of Sogd Region   Partners from Kyrgyzstan: 13.    The Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic 14.    Kyrgyz State Technical University [Bishkek] 15.    Issyk-Kul State University 16.    Talas State University 17.    Osh State University of Technology 18.    Association "Education Network»   Partners from Kazakhstan: 19.    Ministry of Education and Science 20.    Al-Farabi Kazakh National University [Almaty]              21.    Karaganda State Industrial University 22.    East Kazakhstan State Technical University D.SERIKBAEV 23.    Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research
Budget line:	Tempus IV

Project description

The main objective of the project is to approach the Central Asia Countries’ higher education to real needs of economic and social development of these countries. The most important objectives are the following: analysis of the situation in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan; establishment jointly with national Ministries of Education, National Committees on Qualification Frameworks in each of the partner countries and organise Regional CA Network of Committees on Qualification Frameworks; improvement of national General Regulations concerning education standards in particular fields, on the basis of qualification framework ideas, Bologna principles and the EU universities’ experience; introduction of new national standards in the participating CA countries for information science; mapping of progression routes on the basis of standardized questionnaire; preparation of subject area and sectored level descriptors for the levels 6, 7 and 8 for informatics by the groups of professionals from National QF Committees. Besides capacity building for standards development in participating partner countries the project seeks to develop a credit based sectored qualification framework for the sector of Information Sciences. The framework is intended to cover the levels 6 to 8 of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL). The achievement of such a framework as an intermediate level between the subject area level and the general level of the EQF will facilitate the recognition of prior (formal, informal and non formal) learning by developing clear reference points. The project is aimed to assist in building a structure for filling in the gap between a graduate's capacity and employer's demand. Moreover, after few successful EU projects in the CA area that have brought standards of Bologna as well as those of quality assurance to the local HE systems it is necessary to proceed with standards for forming a comparable learning profile in each field of study. Realization of the project will provide background for modernization of curricula, promote closer cooperation and understanding between universities and employers (enterprises, industries, public sector) what is finally aimed to be beneficial for graduates of higher education institutions of Central Asia.