What does the presidency mean for Italy?

Chiara: It is surely a huge acknowledgement for Italy, and it is an honour to build on the good work done by the previous presidency and by the Networks as a whole. CIMEA, the Italian national information Centre, has been active since 1984, celebrating 40 years of work in the education field in 2024. We are ready to continue our work together and at the service of the Networks.

What are the major challenges facing the ENIC-NARIC Networks today?

Jenneke: The Networks are facing a multitude of developments in the education landscape, such as further flexibilization and artificial intelligence, and various policy priorities, including automatic recognition, collaboration with other regions in light of the Global Convention, and recognition of secondary and vocational education. This is all in addition to supporting fair recognition according is implemented on national level, and against the background of an ever-growing number of international students, causing higher volumes of applications.

The challenge for Chiara and her team will be to bring the conversation on all these developments together within the Networks, and with stakeholders in the European region as well as with other UNESCO regions. Additionally, centres have limits to their resources, impacting the extent to which responses and initiatives are possible. Fortunately, the new EB/NAB is composed of excellent experts, and the Networks have a long tradition of professional collaboration on which can be build. We are in the best hands, but it will not be easy.

Chiara: During the last years, COVID-19 showed us the importance of digital solutions in recognition processes. Although several and important progresses have been done, there is still a lot of room for improvements for the implementation of fully mature processes of digitalisation and of exchange of student data, in line with the Lisbon Recognition Convention, to streamline digitalisation in the recognition processes to promote fair recognition. Digitalisation can play an important role in the fight against fraud in education, moving towards a widespread culture of ethics and integrity in education, as highlighted in the CoE recommendation on countering education fraud. But ethics is not technics, and the technological innovation can also be part of the problem of education fraud. The developments on artificial intelligence is an example of this double faceted dimension, and it would be important to explore its potential application in the recognition processes, as well as the possible threats for the field. Digitalisation, and digital tools to support verification of authenticity of qualifications, can also play a significant role in supporting full implementation of automatic recognition. In this regard a lot has been done in the European Region, but we still have work in front of us. Finally, international mobility is not always based on a voluntary decision. International crisis and conflicts let us interface with forced mobility and recognition of refugee qualifications on a daily basis, pushing us to find common solutions. Only 6% of refugees are enrolled in Higher Education, compared with the 40% of non-refugee population. The Networks promptly respond by offering information, tools and concrete pathways to support the recognition of qualifications, even in case of missing documentation, therefore showing the importance of joint efforts.

What do you think are the trends in higher education at the global level, which ENIC-NARICs should work on?

Chiara: International mobility is made, among others, by 6 million of international mobile students in 2020 (a percentage tripled in the last 20 years). Looking to numbers, it is easy to understand how recognition is an essential enabler for this mobility, and the entry into force of global convention is a significant milestone in this direction. Secondly, we are faced with a changing concept of qualification: more and more we see a shift from the formal and traditional concept of qualification to the broader definition of a credential, with emphasis on skills and knowledge that are behind (and beyond) the formal qualification. This means for the recognition community more work on alternative pathways and micro-credentials, recognition of prior learning, validation of skills, etc. In this direction there is still a lot to do – especially in cooperation with competent authorities and higher education institutions -, to support lifelong learning. Finally, we also see a tension at institutional level toward a more transnational alignment. The creation of European university alliances as international university hub, the growth of international and transnational institutional arrangements and education requires up-to-date framework and tool for quality and recognition.

Jenneke:

I fully agree with Chiara here. I may add that implementing fair recognition practices in the national context on all levels, including higher education institutions, remains something to build on to secure fair recognition practices will be sustainable.

What can ENIC-NARICs do in this context?

Jenneke: One of the strengths of the ENIC-NARICs is knowledge and expertise sharing. Peer learning and exchange will be essential for successfully find solutions and ultimately to include these in our regular recognition practice.

Chiara: the Networks could focus not only on the cooperation among our centres, but also engage in a global dialogue with other regions of the world. In this regard, the entry into force of the Global Convention opens interesting cooperation opportunities on the topics of recognition. On the greater quest for the flexibilisation of education, the Networks’ drive towards the deepening of alternative pathways and the use of micro-credentials can contribute positively, in a logic of putting the learners at the centre.

We should make more understandable to the wider public that recognition of qualification is one gateway to recognition of knowledge and skills of the person, i.e. a way to recognise the person and to give the possibility to put skills and talents at the service of the society in which we live. On the other side, our role is to ‘defend’ citizens by bureaucracy, providing accurate and transparent information, simplifying and streamlining procedure, and supporting the right to appeal (in other terms, supporting once again full implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention).

What do you see as a key part of your new role as president?

I consider the fulfilling of the dialogue on recognition within the Network as paramount, in the respect of the diversity of the ENIC-NARIC centres. The Networks’ evolution represents a success story because of the longstanding collaboration between the centres. At the same time, it is important to strengthen the relationships with the other international networks as well, in a view of supporting mobility at a global scale. I will do my best – together with the ENIC Bureau and NARIC Advisory Board and Council of Europe, European Commission and UNESCO as co-secretariats of the networks – to work in a synergetic manner and with a common effort, seeking new channels of collaboration to work on the open challenges.

Last update 28/08/2023