About us

HAKA’s main task is to assess the quality and promote quality culture of educational and training institutions. HAKA conducts evaluations and development activities in the field of higher education, vocational education and training, continuing education, and general education. The Agency aims at bringing the best international practices to Estonia and contributing to the advancement of education quality in other countries. 

HAKA operates as an independent unit within the Estonian Education and Youth Board (as of 1st of August 2020) and is goverened by a Supervisory Board composed of representatives of various stakeholder groups. HAKA is registered in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR). 

HAKA as a recognised quality agency  

Since 2013, HAKA has been a full member of ENQA (the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) and is registered on EQAR (the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education). This also means that all assessment results in higher education are published on DEQAR (The Database of External Quality Assurance Results). A prerequisite for maintaining the membership of ENQA and EQAR is an external evaluation of the agency, which assesses the its compliance with the ESG (Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area). HAKA passed the evaluation successfully in 2013, 2018 and 2023. 

In addition to ENQA, HAKA actively participates in and is a full member of several other quality networks: INQAAHE (International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education), CEENQA (Central and Eastern European Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education), EQAVET (European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training). 

HAKA’s core activities   

HAKA carries out various types of assessments as well as development activities with the aim of supporting the advancement of educational institutions and promoting a culture of quality.

1. ASSESMENTS

We use the term “quality assessment” for all types of evaluations, whether they assess compliance or are development-oriented. In broad terms, we can divide assessments into two categories.

Compliance assessments, the purpose of which is to determine whether the requirements set out in legislation have been met, and whether the educational institution is granted the right to provide instruction. Within a compliance assessment, the institution may receive development‑oriented recommendations, but these are considered an added value rather than the main objective. Compliance assessments include study programme group initial and re-assessement in higher education institutions, study programme group initial and re-assessment in VET institutions, and the quality assessment of study programme groups of continuing education providers.

Development-oriented quality assessments, which do not focus solely on compliance with requirements but also take into account the institution’s own goals and future needs, providing forward‑looking feedback. As a result of the assessment, the HAKA Assessment Council (for the respective field) issues an assessment decision. This is the most common form of quality assessment. It includes institutional accreditation of higher education institutions, institutional evaluations of VET institutions (currently pilot assessments), as well as quality assessments of study programme groups in VET.

The only assessment that is fully aimed at supporting development and does not result in an assessment decision is the quality assessment of general education schools. Its most important outcome is the school’s improvement plan, which is discussed at a roundtable with the school’s governing body and experts. 

2. DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 

Equally important to the assessments are the development activities aimed at promoting quality culture. These development activities can be broadly divided into three groups:  

Development activities aimed at educational institutions: 

  • trainings, seminars and learning events (e.g., curriculum‑development workshops for continuing education, conferences on digital‑learning quality, the Quality School in VET),
  • consultations on topics related to quality culture
  •  preparation of various guidance materials (e.g., guidelines for creating an e‑course, a curriculum‑development leadership guide for higher education institutions),
  • sharing international best practices with educational institutions.

National‑level development activities:

  • participation in drafting legislation that regulates quality assessment,
  • participation in national committees, working groups and networks (e.g., higher education and vocational education curriculum committees, the working group for the professional standard of adult educators, the quality‑culture working group of the Association of Estonian Folk High Schools, networks of development and quality managers of educational institutions),
  • presentations at seminars and conferences,
  • preparation of guidance materials, analyses and articles (e.g., learner surveys on the quality of digital learning),
  • communication on quality‑culture topics through HAKA’s social and other external media channels (e.g., HAKA higher education newsletter)
  • promoting learners’ awareness of quality (e.g., information for learners on the HAKA website).

International development activities:

  • development projects in third countries (e.g., a cooperation project between Estonian and Ukrainian agencies for designing and implementing institutional accreditation model in Ukraine; Twinning projects in Georgia and Azerbaijan; participation in the establishment and development of the quality assurance agency of the Republic of Moldova and training of local experts; development of the higher education quality assurance system in Tajikistan)
  • participation in EU projects (e.g., developing the methodology and evaluation criteria for the European joint degree label within the European Commission’s ETIKETA initiative)
  • conducting quality assessments in other countries (e.g., in Moldova, Armenia, Tajikistan).

HAKA actively participates in projects aimed at helping to develop higher education quality assurance systems in other countries, particularly in Eastern Europe. These projects often include pilot assessments carried out in one or more higher education institutions of the partner country. We have also had opportunities to contribute to the establishment and development of quality assurance agencies in other countries by training the new agency’s staff as well as future local evaluation experts.