Naim Gashi, the General Director of the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA), hosted a delegation from the Austrian Accreditation Agency (AQ Austria) led by Dr. Maria Weber, Director for Accreditation and International Cooperation, and Barbara Schinwald from the Accreditation Department, from May 30th to June 1st.

As part of a joint project funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), AQ Austria is supporting KAA in building its capacities and meeting the criteria for membership in the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).

The delegation from Austria was welcomed by the Minister of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), Ms. Arbërie Nagavci, who highlighted the work of MESTI in ensuring the institutional and financial independence of KAA.

Representatives from AQ Austria also met with the Vice Chairman of the KAA Board, Professor Klemen Miklavic, and the Chairperson of the Appeal Committee, Professor Ibish Mazreku.

Furthermore, the Austrian delegation was received by the Vice Rector for International Cooperation of the University of Prishtina, Professor Arta Basha Jakupi.

The AQ Austria representatives visited the University of Applied Sciences in Ferizaj and were greeted by Rector Agron Bajraktari.

The delegation from AQ Austria also had meetings with Vice Rector Shemsedin Vehapi from AAB College and Rector Edmond Hajrizi from UBT College.

These meetings and visits provided an opportunity for fruitful discussions and knowledge exchange on accreditation processes and quality assurance in higher education between the Austrian and Kosovar institutions.

The twinning of KAA and AQ Austria has been funded by the HERAS + project on behalf of the ADC. KAA and its partners appreciate the support and collaboration of AQ Austria in their efforts to enhance the quality of higher education in Kosovo.