History

HOW IT ALL BEGAN 

The tradition of quality assessment of education in Estonia and the roots of our agency go back to 1997, when the first study programme accreditation decisions were made in higher education. The task of organising accreditation was assigned by the Universities Act to the Higher Education Evaluation Council, which had first been established by a government regulation on 11 April 1995. The first international expert panels began their work in the second half of 1996. To support the work of the Evaluation Council, the Estonian Higher Education Accreditation Centre (EKAK) was created on 1 September 1997 as a unit within the Archimedes Foundation. As the name suggests, the Centre focused solely on higher education, and between 1997 and 2008 EKAK organised the accreditation of all study programmes in Estonian higher education institutions. At that time, the Centre had only three employees.

To carry out the tasks set out in the Universities Act, EKAK and the Higher Education Evaluation Council were reorganised in 2009 into the Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency (EKKA), which consisted of a Bureau and the Evaluation Council. Three new staff members joined during that year. The main task of the Agency between 2009 and 2011 was to introduce a new quality assurance system in Estonian higher education — it meant that the accreditation of individual study programmes was replaced by granting higher education institutions the right to condusct studies in study programme groups. A model for institutional accreditation was developed, and from 2011 onwards institutional accreditation became mandatory for all higher education institutions. Up until then institutional accreditation had been voluntary.

MOVING INTO VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

The accreditation model for curriculum groups in vocational education was developed in 2008–2010. In September 2010, EKKA became responsible for accrediting curriculum groups in vocational education, and in May 2011 the Vocational Education Evaluation Council was established to make accreditation decisions in VET. Similar to quality assessment in higher education, the accreditation of vocational education was used to extend the right to provide instruction in curriculum groups of vocational education institutions as well as professional higher education institutions offering vocational training. In 2011–2013, a pilot round of accreditation for vocational education curriculum groups was carried out, and in 2013–2018 accreditation was conducted in all curriculum groups of vocational education institutions and professional higher education institutions providing vocational training. In 2018–2019, EKKA updated the accreditation model – this included granting the right to conduct studies for unspecified term in curriculum groups that had received full accreditation. Since then, quality assessment has been carried out in curriculum groups that had received the right for unspecified term.

With the addition of the vocational education field, the agency once again had to change its name. Therefore, in April 2015 it became the Estonian Quality Agency for Higher and Vocational Education (EKKA). This time, the abbreviation did not need to be changed.

EXPANSION INTO CONITINUING EDUCATION  

In 2018, the field of continuing education was added to EKKA’s responsibilities. Together with the Ministry of Education and Research, a threshold‑based quality assessment system for continuing education providers was developed. Between 2018 and 2021, 576 website evaluations and 103 evaluations of training delivery were carried out among the training providers that were partners of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund. In 2022–2023, a new quality assessment methodology for those partners was developed in cooperation with the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, and quality assessments were conducted in selected study programme groups. In November 2022, HAKA Supervisory Board appointed, for the first time, the Continuing Education Evaluation Council, which makes quality assessment decisions in continuing education.”

CREATION OF THE ADVISORY BOARD

On 1 September 2020, the Estonian Education and Youth Board (Harno) was established, and EKKA became part of Harno. Harno is a government agency under the Ministry of Education and Research, and HAKA’s main tasks arise from various legal acts. At the same time, agreements made within the European Higher Education Area require that quality assurance agencies belonging to ENQA and EQAR be fully independent in all aspects of their work: in their organisational form, in their activities, and throughout the entire evaluation process. The solution was to establish the HAKA Advisory Board, and on 16 October 2020 the Minister of Education and Research appointed, for the first time, a body composed of representatives of HAKA’s key stakeholder groups. The Advisory Board appoints the members of the assessment councils, the members of the appeals committees, and the Director of HAKA; it approves HAKA’s development plan and annual report, and provides recommendations on HAKA’s strategic directions and development activities.

INCLUSION OF GENERAL EDUCATION

 In 2021, our agency grew even further when the field of general education was included in our scope of work. We began to develop and implement a quality evaluation system for  general education schools. Pilot evaluations of general education schools were launched and will continue until 2027.

By 2022, the agency was operating in four areas of education, which meant it was time to update the name. In June 2022, EKKA became the Estonian Quality Agency for Education (HAKA).