Project beneficiary: Ministry of National Education (MoNE)– The Unit for the Management of Externally Financed Projects

Partner: The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS)

Title: “Improving public policies in higher education and enhancing the quality of regulations by updating quality standards” – QAFIN

SIPOCA code/SMIS2014+: 16

Implementation period: 29.05.2017-28.11.2020

Project start date: 29.05.2017

Financer: The project is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) through the Operational Programme “Administrative Capacity” 2014-2020, Priority Axis 1: Efficient public administration and judicial system, Specific objective 1.1: Developing and introducing common systems and standards in public administration that optimize decision-making processes oriented towards citizens and the business environment, in line with the Strategy for strengthening of public administration 2014-2020.

Total value: 16.070.930,24 RON, of which 13.496.988,01 RON non-reimbursable financial assistance from the ESF and 2.573.942,23 lei contribution of the applicant

The aim of the project is the achievement and implementation of evidence-based public policies, respectively the correlation of strategic planning with programme budgeting, in the field of financing of higher education institutions, through the enhancement of regulations regarding external quality assurance, classification and ranking of higher education institutions and study programmes. Also, the project aims at the improvement of administrative capacity of the Ministry of National Education and of ARACIS, by adapting structures, optimizing processes and training human resources, and enhancing the use of transparent public consultation mechanisms that ensure citizen participation in decision-making and by applying European quality standards.

The project activities will be implemented with technical assistance from the World Bank experts.

The specific objectives of the project are:

A) Optimisation of strategic planning and program budgeting by:

a. providing the necessary tools, methodologies and guidelines for external quality assurance in higher education, respectively classifying and ranking of higher education institutions and study programmes, for informed decisions regarding the way money is allocated to higher education institutions and to their study programmes,

b. clarifying the role and mandates of institutions involved in quality assurance processes in higher education.

B) Implementation of the methodology and of the guidelines for classification and ranking of higher education institutions, respectively of study programmes, based on clear and transparent sets of indicators and data;

C) Improvement of the administrative capacity of the Ministry of National Education and ARACIS at system level, by developing managerial instruments on internal organisation and operation, procedures for internal use, manuals, guides of best practices and by training its own staff, as well as staff from higher education institutions for the implementation of the developed instruments and with regard to European practices in the field.

The results and the specific activities of the project:

RESULT 1. Methodology and guidelines for external evaluation of quality in higher education institutions from Romania

1.1 Support of the implementation of programme budgeting and development of tools for the efficiency of public spending by developing the External Evaluation Methodology, Reference Standards and Performance Indicators for External Evaluation in Higher Education

1.2 Development of management tools by the elaboration of guides and standards for the implementation and ensuring that reporting is based on the new developed Methodology for quality assurance

1.3 Development and improvement of IT tools that will support the implementation of the developed methodologies and procedures, including the improvement of the management system of ARACIS National Register of Evaluators

1.4 Piloting of the new developed Methodology and procedures, implementation of a mechanism of consultation among relevant actors, as well as collaboration with universities in order to identify innovative concepts

1.5 Approval of the Methodology and guides of procedures through appropriate legislation

1.6 Information and publicity

1.7 Implementation of horizontal principles Sustainable development, Equality of chances, non-discrimination, Gender equality

RESULT 2. Improved methodology for the evaluation of universities with the purpose of institutional classification and ranking of study programmes. Report regarding the classification of universities and study programmes

2.1 Improvement of the Methodology for evaluation of higher education institutions with the purpose of classification of universities and ranking of study programmes

2.2 Development of an IT module for introduction of data by universities, in agreement with the provisions of the Methodology and the use of outcomes regarding evaluation of universities for the purpose of institutional classification and ranking of study programmes

2.3 Piloting of the new Methodology and implementation of a mechanism of consultation among relevant actors, as well as collaboration with universities in order to identify innovative concepts

2.4 Approval of the Methodology for evaluation of universities with the purpose of institutional classification and ranking of study programmes through appropriate legislation

2.5 Implementation of the Methodology for evaluation of higher education institutions with the purpose of classification of universities and ranking of study programmes as well as the development of the evaluation report

2.6 Information and publicity

2.7 Implementation of horizontal principles Sustainable development, Equality of chances, non-discrimination, Gender equality

RESULT 3. Study on data and good practices at European level regarding quality assurance and classification in higher education as well as on the impact of current practices, at national level

Elaboration of a study/ system analysis in order to identify and develop of a set of tools for the development of evidence-based public policies regarding the processes of quality evaluation, as well as processes of classification of universities and ranking of study programmes

RESULT 4. Updated internal regulation for organisation and operation of ARACIS and development of the manual of internal procedures

4.1 Elaboration of a preliminary analysis for the identification of the organizational needs

4.2 Development of a complete a coherent manual of internal procedures for ARACIS technical staff and evaluators

4.3 Review of internal regulation for organisation and operation of ARACIS so as to improve the management practices

4.4 Implementation of horizontal principles Sustainable development, Equality of chances, non-discrimination, Gender equality

RESULT 5. Manual of procedures regarding the role and competences of the Ministry of National Education and its subordinated councils, respectively of ARACIS, regarding quality assurance and the ways of collaboration between the two institutions

5.1 Analysis of the role and competences of the two institutions in order to clarify and delimit them in quality assurance processes and in classification and ranking processes

5.2 Elaboration of a manual of procedures in order to establish the roles, competences of the two institutions and the modalities of collaboration and share data

RESULT 6. Staff of the Ministry of National Education and its subordinated councils, of ARACIS and higher education institutions that was trained regarding the implementation of the developed methodologies, including for ensuring an adequate sustainability

6.1 Training sessions for the staff of MoNE, ARACIS and management staff from higher education institutions regarding the implementation of developed methodologies, including for ensuring an adequate sustainability

6.2 Information sessions for the staff from higher education institutions regarding the implementation of developed methodologies, including for ensuring an adequate sustainability

6.3 Information and publicity

RESULT 7. Staff of the Ministry of National Education and ARACIS that participated in exchanges of good practices with other higher education quality assurance agencies listed in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR)

Participation of the staff of MoNE and ARACIS in exchanges of good practices with other higher education quality assurance agencies listed in EQAR

The members of the project management team: