QAA celebrates its tenth anniversary
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) celebrated its tenth anniversary by holding a reception at 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin), London. Guest of honour was Lord Dearing, whose report into the future of higher education, published in July 1997, largely gave QAA its agenda of work.
Introduced by Sam Younger, Chairman of QAA, Lord Dearing said: ‘When we completed our report ten years ago, the most persuasive champions of QAA were students, who wanted qualifications that had real value, wherever they went. The real challenge was whether we could deliver the quality and standards expected by them. My experience in life is that, where things really matter, there is a pain barrier to go through. Students, universities and QAA have succeeded in coming out the other side.’
Peter Williams, Chief Executive, QAA, then gave guests an insight into the organisation’s predictions for the next 10 years. ‘The coming years will bring profound changes to the way we view quality and quality assurance that will go hand in hand with the equally big challenges that higher education itself will face,’ he said. ‘If, by 2017, we have helped to build stronger, more self-confident, universities and colleges, which are better meeting the needs of students, society and the world of learning, and are doing that in a broad international context, then QAA will have more than justified a 20th birthday party.’
The event was attended by representatives from UK higher education institutions, student bodies and professional and statutory regulatory bodies, as well as MPs and peers.
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For further information please contact:
Alison Mayhew, Communications Officer, QAA
t: 01452 557073, e: a.mayhew@qaa.ac.uk
Or visit www.qaa.ac.uk
Notes for editors
QAA was established in 1997 to provide an integrated quality assurance service for higher education. It brought together the former Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) and the quality assessment divisions of the higher education funding councils in England and Wales. It is an independent body funded by subscriptions from universities and colleges of higher education (our subscribers), and through contracts with the main higher education funding bodies across the UK.
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