Dr. Thani Al
Mehairi, General Manager of the National Qualifications Authority (NQA),
revealed that there are agreements and Memoranda of Understanding signed
between NQA and universities and colleges in the State, through which centers
of evaluation of former expertise are opened, in order to grant people, whose
expertise is undocumented, the opportunity to document their expertise after they
are assessed in these specialized centers, and they will be granted a
certificate of the appropriate level for them in the Structure of the
Qualifications Framework.
The process of
equivalency of experiences is carried out by subjecting people with expertise, who
do not have the qualifications to prove their expertise, to the system of
recognition of learning and previous experience, and this recognition is based
on the agreements with the universities and colleges in the State, that allow
the persons with undocumented expertise to apply to these centers for
assessment , and based on it, a certificate of the applicant’s appropriate
level is given to them in the Structure of the Qualifications Framework, as these
centers are accredited by NQA.
The Authority is
currently working with UAE University, Zayed University, Higher Colleges of
Technology, and institutions of vocational education in the State, with the aim
of drawing plans and policies, developing a comprehensive and unified national
strategy for qualifications, and establishing and developing controls and
standards of qualifications of higher and general education, and technical and
vocational training, to keep abreast of the scientific and technological
development, and the requirements of economic and social development in the
country, in addition to the creation and development of mechanisms and systems
to assess the levels of learning outcomes which serve as the basis for granting
the qualifications.
The General Manager
of the Authority pointed out that the Authority has several goals, such as granting
equivalency of certificates of higher and general education and technical and
vocational training, evaluation and accreditation of higher and general educational
institutions, and technical and vocational training institutions, and the development
of policies and procedures for the transfer of individuals among the higher and
general educational institutions, and technical and vocational training
institutions inside the State and abroad.
He also explained
that the Authority aims to establish a national database for the educational
institutions in the State that includes the data for all who have
qualifications, and details of accredited national qualifications and functional
standards, and conduct and develop studies and periodic reviews of the overall
performance of the Structure of the Qualifications Framework in the UAE.
09/09/2014