The association of legal entities “Central Asian Federation for Quality Assurance in Education” (CAAAE) conducts independent institutional and programme accreditation of educational institutions: universities, technical and vocational education (TVE) institutions and continuing-education institutions.

Our work is aimed at improving the quality of education in the region, securing recognition of learning outcomes by employers and the academic community, and integrating the educational institutions of Central Asia into the international educational arena.

Areas of activity

• Institutional accreditation — a comprehensive assessment of an educational institution's activities: strategy, governance, resources and the internal quality assurance system.
• Programme (specialised) accreditation — assessing the quality of individual bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes and TVE programmes.
• Post-accreditation monitoring — supporting educational institutions after accreditation and monitoring the implementation of the external expert commissions' recommendations.
• Maintaining registries — public registries of accredited institutions and educational programmes of Central Asia.
• Training of experts — preparation and certification of external experts in the assessment of educational quality.

Central Asian Federation for Quality Assurance in Education (CAF)

CAF is a public-professional organisation whose activities are aimed at interstate assistance in strengthening, harmonising and developing systems of external evaluation, accreditation in education and certification of specialists in the Central Asian region. The Federation has been operating since December 2023.

CAF was established within the framework of the European Union TEMPUS QUEECA project on improving the quality of engineering education in Central Asia and on the basis of interstate initiatives of the countries of the region. The Federation operates in accordance with:

• the Khujand Agreement on the establishment of the Central Asian Federation of the Engineering Education Community of 12 October 2015 (Khujand);
• the Turkestan Declaration on the establishment of the Central Asian Higher Education Area of 18 June 2021 (Turkestan);
• the Almaty Agreement on the establishment of CAF of 8 December 2023 (Almaty);
• international quality assurance standards and guidelines, including the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG).

In accordance with Articles 8 and 9 of the Almaty Agreement, the operator of CAF is the Central Asian Federation for Quality Assurance in Education (CAFQA), which provides organisational, technical and financial support for the Federation’s activities.

The Federation is governed through a system of bodies that provide strategic leadership, day-to-day coordination, expert support and administrative assistance.

CAF operates as a platform for cooperation and coordination between authorised state bodies, national accreditation agencies, expert organisations and other parties involved in education quality assurance processes.

Goal and objectives of CAF

The goal of CAF is to develop a unified approach to quality assurance in education based on common standards and transparent procedures that contribute to the formation of a competitive educational environment in the region, as well as to create a sustainable, coherent and transparent regional system of external evaluation and accreditation of educational institutions and programmes.

The Federation’s main objectives:

• maintaining and developing the regional register of recognised institutions and programmes;
• promoting common standards and quality evaluation procedures;
• mutual recognition of accreditations and qualifications;
• organising the exchange of information and experience;
• monitoring and analytics in the field of education quality;
• creating a Central Asian database of certified specialists integrated into the registers of European associations;
• facilitating the inclusion of the region’s accreditation agencies and university degree programmes in international registers and education quality recognition networks;
• participation in international networks and initiatives.

Operating principles

• Independence — CAF is autonomous from political and administrative influence and is guided solely by professional criteria;
• Transparency — key procedures, criteria and evaluation results are published in open access;
• Alignment with international standards — primarily the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) and the practices of ENQA, EQAR, INQAAHE and UNESCO;
• Stakeholder participation — involving agencies, universities, employers, students and state bodies as regulatory and strategic partners in the development of policies and standards.

Membership

CAF operates as an open platform for cooperation. Members of the Federation may be organisations working in the field of education quality assurance that meet the criteria of professionalism, independence and compliance with international standards. The following categories are provided: full members, associate members (with an advisory vote) and observers. CAF is open to expanding its membership and to cooperation with new states and organisations of the region.

How the Federation is organised

CAF membership in detail