“Standards and recommendations for higher education quality assurance in European Space” have been developed by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) by direct order of the Conference of the Ministers of Education of European countries, signatory of the Bologna declaration. In 2005 the document was developed and approved by the Ministers of Education and recommended to be implemented into national quality assurance systems.
The document doesn’t have a prescriptive character, it is nonbinding. However from the moment of its approval at the Conference it has become a real manifest of forming of education quality assurance national systems in European countries. The document consists of three parts, which include standards and recommendations for education quality asurance within higher education institution, standards and recommendations for external quality asurance systems and quality standards for quality assurance agencies’ operations.
Standards and recommendation were developed based on experience in education quality assessment, formed in Western European countries and particularly in Great Britain. Despite the fact that in Eastern Europe (including Russia) formation of national accreditation systems in higher education began prior to the Bologna process, their practice was not taken into account. However, it was due to external factors: at the first stage ENQA included mainly agencies of Western European countries.
Nevertheless the document requires a detailed study, comparison of Russian methods and technologies with European standards and compliance with these standards. In those countries where accreditation agencies were formed under the influence of the Bologna process, the proposed document has really become methodical base. For Eastern European countries the necessity to comply with European standards in many ways means transformation of already formed accreditation systems.
Russia has signed the Bologna declaration and therefore together with other European countries has undertaken obligations to develop a common education space.
ENQA standards rank with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), with education cycles, European Diploma Supplements in importance, as they impose a common European format for quality assurance systems. ENQA standards are European standards for internal (higher education) systems and external quality assurance systems.
By now “Standards and Guidelines…” have been translated into practicaly all European languages. Russian translation of “Standards…” was prepared by Rossaccredagentstvo as unofficial working document for approbation in national state accreditation system.
Last revision of “Standards and Guidelines…” translation has underwent discussion by the members of Accreditation Board of the Federal Education and Science Supervision Agency, has been officially approved by the Accreditation Board decision № 3-2007 as of 05.04.2007 and recommended to higher education institutions for use in order to form quality assurance system within higher education institutions.
The standards consist of three parts and deal with internal quality assessment of higher education institutions, external quality assessment of higher education and quality assurance agencies. The first part includes standards and guidelines for internal quality assessment of higher education institutions in respect of:

• policies and procedures for education organizations’ quality assurance;


• approval, monitoring and regular programs and qualifications assessment;


• assessment of the students’ level of knowledge;


• quality assurance of higher-education teaching personnel;


• learning resources and students’ support systems;


• communication systems;


• information of the public.

Standards and guidelines for internal and external quality assurance, covering key quality- and standards-related areas were developed for higher education institutions. The goal of these standards and guidelines is to provide aid and support to higher education institutions in the development of their own quality assurance systems and in the development of common principles that can be useful for education establishments.
Standards and guidelines are based on the principles of external and internal higher education quality assurance in European education space, namely:

• higher education providers are responsible for provision of education and guarantee its quality;


• it is necessary to take into account and guard public interests in respect of higher education quality and standards;


• quality of education programs for students and other consumers within the EHEA territory shall improve continually;


• there shall be organizational structures providing education programs and ensuring their implementation;


• transparency and use of external expertise in quality assurance procedures are important;


• it is necessary to encourage the development of quality culture in higher education institutions;


• here shall be developed processes with the help of which higher education institutions could demonstrate their accountability, including accountability for public and private financial investments;


• quality assurance for the purpose of accountability shall be fully compatible with quality assurance for the purpose of education process improvement;


• education establishments shall demonstrate their quality both on national and international levels;


• used procedures shall not suppress variety and innovations.

Goals of standards and guidelines:

• improvement of higher education provided to students within the territory of European education space;


• facilitation to higher education institutions in quality management and improvement and so strengthening their organizational independence;


• formation of the base for quality assurance agencies’ operations;


• provision of transparency of external quality assurance and facilitation of understanding its nature for all of the involved parties.

Goals of standards and recommendations:

• encourage higher education institutions that are striving to achieve conspicuous achievements in respect of education and developmet of intellectual potential;


• support higher education institutions and other educational institutions and provide assistance to them in the development of their own quality assurance culture;


• inform higher education institutions, students, employeers and other stakeholders of processes and the results of higher education;


• assist in accumulation of background material information base for higher education institutions on quality assurance in European education space.