We would like to present the activities of the NAWA Department for Academic Recognition which functions as the Polish centre.
The origins of the ENIC-NARIC Networks date back to 1984, when a number of national information centres merged in to the National Academic Recognition Information Centres Network (NARIC). The European Network of National Information Centres (ENIC Network) was established in 1994, in close collaboration with UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The ENIC and NARIC Networks (jointly known as the ENIC-NARIC Networks) cooperate closely in accordance with their respective mandate with the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO as Co-Secretariats. Currently, in the Network there are 56 countries from the European Region (i.e. Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and Oceania).
The main tasks of an ENIC-NARIC centre are to:
- facilitate access to authoritative and accurate information on the higher education system and qualifications of the country in which it is located,
- facilitate access to information on the higher education systems and qualifications of the other Parties,
- give advice or information on recognition matters and assessment of qualifications, in accordance with national laws and regulations.
Detailed information on the ENIC-NARIC Networks and their joint initiatives can be found on the website entirely dedicated to the Networks and national information centres activities.
NAWA Department for Academic Recognition, which functions as the Polish ENIC-NARIC centre, issues information on foreign diplomas and has an advisory role in preparing system solutions regarding the recognition of qualifications.
ENIC-NARIC Poland has been operating for over 25 years. During that time, we have successfully implemented many solutions regarding recognition procedures. Trainings, conferences, webinars and consulting sessions are just a few of the activities that have significantly contributed to the development of competences of higher education institutions staff responsible for admission and international cooperation.
The national information centre has undergone several transformations. The first institution in Poland which operated as the ENIC-NARIC centre was the Ministry of National Education and the second one was the Bureau for Academic Recognition and International Exchange (BUWiWM). In 2009, tasks related to the academic recognition were conferred on the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and in 2018 on NAWA, where the current shape of the centre has been determined.
We invite you to travel back in time and take a look at our most significant activities! (Click on the bubble to read more.)
ENIC-NARIC POLAND – ACTIVITIES OVER THE YEARS
Participation in international projects
The ground breaking project has been the EAR (European Area for Recognition), which aim was to create a practical recognition manual for credential evaluators. The manual complies with the Lisbon Recognition and provides standards and guidelines for recognising foreign qualifications.
The EAR Manual has been approved by the 47 Ministers of Education from the European Higher Education Area in the 2012 Bucharest Communiqué. Currently, the second edition is available EAR Manual (2023).
Another significant project has been the EARN (Evaluation and Assessment of the Role of NARICs), which aim was to develop a quality assurance mechanism consisting of two parts: a self-assessment tool and a peer-review mechanism. The project objectives were based on the effects achieved under the EAR.
The tool still supports ENIC-NARIC centres in the assessment of recognition practices. The results are presented in the self-assessment report which is the basis of the peer-review.
Currently, within NAWA structures, we have been taking part in eleven international projects. Details can be found on our website.
ENIC-NARIC Annual Meeting in Warsaw
The event gathered guests from over 50 countries, including representatives of the European Commission, the Council of Europe, UNESCO and UNESCO-CEPES.
Annual meetings are of great importance for all network centres as they are an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences, summarize current projects and strengthen cooperation between ENIC-NARIC representatives from around the world.
At present, we have been preparing for the 31st Annual Joint Meeting of the ENIC and NARIC Networks which will take place on 23-25 June 2024 in Naples.
Implementation of QA in ENIC-NARIC Poland
ENIC-NARIC Poland was assessed twice: in 2013 within the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and in 2019 within NAWA. The audits brought significant benefits, such as the improvement of communication with applicants or the simplification of the procedures for submitting an application for an individual recognition statement.
Areas of assessment:
- general compliance of the centre with the LRC and Recommendations,
- procedures for the assessment of foreign qualifications, quality assessment, compliance with the law and authenticity of foreign qualifications,
- evaluation of foreign qualifications - tools and resources,
- transparency and information provision,
- cooperation with other institutions, including ENIC-NARIC centres, and presentation.
Education systems descriptions
Publications provided by ENIC-NARIC Poland are constantly updated and supplemented with new information. Our plan is to gradually create more education systems descriptions, including those countries for which individual recognition statements are issued most frequently.
Entering NAWA
„Direct to recognition” Conferences
The conference titled "Direct to recognition" hosted representatives of higher education institutions for the first time on December 7, 2018. The conference was held in subsequent years, including the pandemic, allowing us to reach a large number of university staff dealing with admission and international cooperation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held online to return to the traditional format in 2023. Preparations are currently underway for the seventh edition of the conference, which according to the plan, should take place in November 2024.
KWALIFIKATOR
By June 2024, we have recorded over 300.000 visits in KWALIFIKATOR and over 45.000 downloaded recognition statements.
We do no stop! The original NAWA system has been still developed and updated. The restricted “University Area” collects data which is useful in the everyday work of higher education institutions.
Elementarz Ewaluatora
Recently, the fifth edition of the course has ended and confirmed our opinion on how important it is to provide information about good practices and methodologies when evaluating foreign qualifications.
We would like to congratulate all the participants on their eagerness to gain knowledge and invite next young evaluators to take part in the sixth edition of the training in 2025!
SYRENA
The popularity of the system is reflected in statistics which indicate that from its launch to mid-June 2024, over 5.200 applications were submitted.
SYRENA allows to prepare and submit the application fully online at any time and obtain the individual recognition statement in a form of a digitally signed PDF document, which can be downloaded from anywhere in the world.
Future plans