Strengthening Capacities for External Evaluation in Pre-Tertiary Education in South Eastern Europe and Moldova
As a part of the EQET SEE (Enhancements in the Quality of Education and Training in South Eastern Europe) project, ERI SEE focused on strengthening the capacities of external evaluators through the development and implementation of a Regional Training Programme for external evaluators within the Quality Assurance component of the project.
In 2024, a Regional Training Programme for External Evaluators was developed for participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia. The programme is based on the Regional Standard of Competences for External Evaluators and guided by a regional Training Needs Analysis conducted in the previous years of the project. These foundations ensure the programme addresses the specific capacity-building needs of evaluators in the region.
The Regional Training Programme for external evaluators was developed collaboratively during two regional meetings: the First Regional Meeting held in February 2024, and the Second Regional Meeting held in April 2024. The development process involved regional working groups, national coordination points, and Portuguese experts Isabel Maria Borges Furtado Dias Barata and Rosa Celeste de Almeida Micaelo, along with Professor Ermelinda Mahmutaj and Professor Dragan Stanojević for cross-sectoral (environmental, social and gender) components of the programme. The regional working groups included representatives from ministries of education, quality assurance agencies, and experts in competences, training development, and needs analysis from the seven participating economies. These groups ensured that the programme addressed both regional priorities and specific national contexts.
The implementation began with an in-person core Regional training for 34 external evaluators held from May 13–17, 2024, in Durres, Albania and two online sessions covering the modules on Social sustainability and gender equity and on Environmental sustainability were organized on June 20 and June 27, 2024, providing further specialized training.
To complement the regional training, a Study visit to the Portuguese Inspectorate for Education and Science (IGEC) in Lisbon was organized from October 1–3, 2024 for National Coordination Points of the project and ERI SEE representatives. The visit focused on Portugal’s external and internal school evaluation systems, vocational education practices, and the use of data for policy development. Participants also visited two vocational schools to explore their internal organization, internal evaluation processes, integration of external evaluation findings into regular activities, improvement cycles, monitoring of results and progress, and approaches to inclusion and student support.
Based on the regional programme, national working groups in seven economies developed tailored training materials to address specific needs identified through national Training Needs Analysis exercise. 34 Regional master trainers, trained through the regional training in Durres, delivered these national trainings, which involved over 240 external evaluators across the seven economies. These activities represent a coordinated effort to strengthen the capacities of external evaluators and contribute to the advancement of education quality assurance mechanisms in South Eastern Europe and Moldova.
The structure and materials for each module of the Regional Training Programme for External Evaluators are available for download here.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNCSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
