Statutes of the Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency

1.      General Provisions

1.1.      The mission of the Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency is, in co-operation with its partners, to foster the quality of Estonian higher education and to promote the best quality assurance practices and to disseminate them. 

1.2.      The Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency is a structural unit of the Archimedes Foundation (hereinafter the Foundation) carrying out independent tasks.

1.3.      Upon making quality assessment decisions, the Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency is independent and sovereign.

1.4.      The Agency’s name [Eesti Kõrghariduse Kvaliteediagentuur (EKKA)] in English is the Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency.

1.5.      The Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency shall operate pursuant to the legislation of the Republic of Estonia, the international legislation, including the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, the Estonian Standard of Higher Education, the Statutes of the Foundation, these Statutes, and other legislation and normative documents regulating quality assurance in higher education.

1.6.      The Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency shall continue the work of the Estonian Higher Education Accreditation Centre and the Higher Education Quality Assessment Council that operated from 1997 to 2008.

1.7.      With the approval of and in co-operation with other structural units of the Foundation, the activities of the Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency shall be performed according to the work schedules and operating objectives, and tasks given by the Supervisory Board and the Management Board of the Foundation.

2.      Main Functions of Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency

2.1.      The Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency (hereinafter also EKKA or the Agency) shall foster and evaluate the quality of Estonian higher education.

2.2.      The main functions of the Agency shall be:

2.2.1.      on the basis of common quality principles of the European higher education, to develop and establish the principles for quality assessment in Estonian higher education and the procedure for conducting quality assessment;

2.2.2.      in co-operation with establishments providing higher education in Estonia (hereinafter the higher education institutions) and with other partners, to foster the quality of Estonian higher education, and to promote the best quality assurance practices and to disseminate them;

2.2.3.      institutional accreditation of higher education institutions and assessment of quality of their study programme groups;

2.2.4.      to carry out the expert analysis to evaluate the right of higher education institutions to provide instruction;

2.2.5.      to examine the applications submitted by higher education institutions to use services of other quality assessment agencies and to evaluate quality assessment in Estonian institutions of higher education conducted by other agencies;

2.2.6.      to administer databases concerning accreditation and quality assessment and make them available for public use;

2.2.7.      training activities and counselling related to evaluation of higher education and to quality in higher education;

2.2.8.      to make public the principles, regulatory documents, results, international standards and experience, and other relevant information related to evaluation of higher education;

2.2.9.      to participate in international co-operation related to the quality of higher education, including to represent Estonia in issues concerning the quality of higher education;

2.2.10.  to perform other functions specified by resolutions of the Ministry of Education and Research, the Supervisory Board of the Archimedes Foundation and EKKA Quality Assessment Council.

 

3.      Management and Structure of Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency

3.1.   The Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency comprises:

3.1.1.      the Bureau of Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency that performs the functions specified in clause 2.2 of these Statutes and is managed by the Director of EKKA;

3.1.2.      EKKA Quality Assessment Council, the activities of which shall be co-ordinated by the chairman of the Council. 

3.2.      The work of the Agency shall be supervised by EKKA's Director who co-ordinates and organises implementation of the objectives and functions of EKKA in accordance with these Statutes and other legislation.

3.3.      The Management Board of the Foundation shall appoint the Director of the Agency by way of public competition and on the basis of the decision by the Supervisory Board of the Foundation. The Supervisory Board of the Foundation shall establish conditions of and the procedure for the competition.

3.4.      The Director of the Agency is directly subordinate to the Management Board of the Foundation.

3.5.      The Director of the Agenc shall:

3.5.1.      plan and organise the activities of the Agency taking into consideration decisions and guidelines of councils, committees, and other bodies appointed to regulate these activities and by EKKA Quality Assessment Council;

3.5.2.      ensure the lawful, accurate and timely implementation of functions of the Agency;

3.5.3.      ensure the timely and high-quality performance of contractual and legal obligations of the  Agency with its co-operation partners, financiers and other contract partners;

3.5.4.      with approval of the Management Board of the Foundation, establish the structure of the Agency appropriate to the implementation of its functions and, when necessary, form subordinate units;

3.5.5.      with approval of the Management Board of the Foundation, recruit the staff for the Agency appropriate to the implementation of its functions;

3.5.6.      co-ordinate the Agency’s international co-operation and relations with the partners of the Agency;

3.5.7.      ensure timely preparation, enforcement and submission of documentation necessary for planning the work of the Agency and for reporting, including budgets, to the Management Board of the Foundation and other parties.

3.6.            In compliance with the Procedure for the Formation of EKKA Quality Assessment Council, the Supervisory Board of the Foundation shall appoint the members of EKKA Quality Assessment Council.

3.7.            EKKA Quality Assessment Council shall:

3.7.1.      approve the composition of expert committees of quality assessment of higher education institutions;

3.7.2.      make decisions on institutional accreditation of higher education institutions and on quality assessment of their study programme groups;

3.7.3.      make proposals to grant educational institutions the right to provide instruction; 

3.7.4.      approve an annual action plan of the Agency;

3.7.5.      decide on EKKA's participation in international co-operation networks related to quality of higher education and on the membership of international organisations.

3.8.   Duties of the Director of the Agency and employees of the EKKA Bureau shall be specified by job descriptions. 

 
 
Archimedes Foundation, Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency| Koidula 13A Tallinn 10125 | Tel +372  696 2424 | ekka@archimedes.ee
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