The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in Andorra (AQUA) welcomed a delegation from the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) on 23 and 24 July within the framework of the SIQA project (Support for the enhancement-oriented implementation of the QA key commitment), co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
The visit aimed to enable AQUA to share its experience, strategic and operational processes, and good practices developed to ensure alignment with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
The initiative responds to MFHEA’s interest in learning from the Andorran model as the Maltese agency advances a transformation process following recommendations arising from its European external review.
During two days of working sessions, both agencies exchanged views on institutional governance and independence, evaluation processes, assessment criteria, expert recruitment and training, internal quality assurance mechanisms and stakeholder engagement.
According to AQUA Director Isaac Galobardes, the visit demonstrates that “even small higher education systems can become references in the implementation of European quality assurance standards.”
The visit also reinforced cooperation among quality assurance agencies from small European states, a collaborative initiative promoted by Andorra to facilitate the exchange of experiences, address common challenges and strengthen the voice of smaller systems within the European Higher Education Area.
As part of the programme, the Maltese delegation also visited the Casa de la Vall with the support of the Parliament.