21-23 May 2013
The Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit
Bangkok, Thailand

The 12th Session of the Regional Committee on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education in Asia and the Pacific was held in conjunction with a regional workshop on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. It was co-organised by UNESCO Bangkok, the Korean Council of University Education (KCUE) and the Australian government’s department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.

The meeting aimed to encourage Member States to ratify the Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education. To this end, the meeting provided an opportunity for participants to discuss processes and challenges encountered in the ratification and implementation process of the Convention. At the workshop, members reviewed a draft Toolkit, containing explanatory notes on the Convention, criteria and procedure to assess foreign qualifications, and an advocacy brief on the ratification of the revised Convention.

Representatives of Member States and State Parties which have ratified the 1983 Convention, observers from non-state parties, NGOs and IGOs, and experts from other Regional Conventions attended the meeting.

Resources

• Pictures

• Programme (pdf, 460kb)

• Concept Note (pdf, 160kb)

• Draft Toolkit for the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications (pdf, 1.2mb)

• Country Report Guidelines (pdf, 140kb)

12th Session of the Regional Committee

Progress Report

• Report on the 11^th Session and follow-up actions
  Mr Dae Joon Hwang, 1^st Vice-Chairperson of the 11^th Committee (pdf, 590kb)

• Message from the Secretariat
  Mr Libing Wang, UNESCO Bangkok (pdf, 30kb)

Overview of the Asia-Pacific Regional Convention and draft ‘Toolkit for the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications’

• Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education (pdf, 640kb)

• Toolkit for the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications (pdf, 200kb)
  Mr Tony Davies, New Zealand Ministry of Education and Ms Ethel Agnes P. Valenzuela, SEAMEO INNOTECH

Presentation of Country Reports focused on progresses and challenges in ratifying and implementing the Asia-Pacific Regional Convention

State Parties

• Australia (pdf, 190kb)

• China (pdf, 230kb)

• Holy See (pdf, 310kb)

• India (pdf, 1.3mb)

• Lao PDR (pdf, 1.3mb)

• Maldives (pdf, 510kb)

• Mongolia (pdf, 270kb)

• Nepal (pdf, 150kb)

• Philippines (pdf, 340kb)

• Republic of Korea (pdf, 260kb)

• Sri Lanka (pdf, 2.1mb)

Non State Parties

• Brunei (pdf, 310kb)

• Bhutan (pdf, 580kb)

• Cambodia (pdf, 350kb)

• Fiji (pdf, 700kb)

• Japan (pdf, 160kb)

• New Zealand (pdf, 450kb)

• Timor Leste (pdf, 280kb)

• Tonga (pdf, 420kb)

• Uzbekistan (pdf, 320kb)

• Viet Nam (pdf, 200kb)

Regional Workshop on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications 

Presentations and discussion on National Qualifications Framework (NQF)

• The Case of the Philippines
  Ms Ethel Agenes P. Valenzuela, SEAMEO INNOTECH (pdf, 760kb)

• The Case of Malaysia
  Ms Zita Mohd Fahmi, Malaysian Qualifications Agency (pdf, 830kb)

• Trends and efforts to adopt NQFs and a Regional Qualification Framework  in ASEAN
  Ms Mega Irena, ASEAN (pdf, 370kb) 

Presentations and discussion on Diploma Supplement  

• Diploma Supplements and Diploma Supplement Models: A rose by any other name?
  Mr Nigel Palmer, University of Melbourne (pdf, 1.9mb) 

Presentation and discussion on the strengthening of National Information Centres (NICs) and a regional NIC network

• Experiences in Europe
  Padre Friedrich Bechina, Undersecretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education (pdf, 230kb)

• Summary of Country Reports and Introduction to the UNESCO Portal to Higher Education and APARNET
  Mr Libing Wang, UNESCO Bangkok (pdf, 720kb)

Presentations and discussions on Substantial Difference and NICs

• Understanding ‘Substantial Difference’
  Ms Elizabeth Campbell-Dorning / AEI-NOOSR (pdf, 210kb)

• National Information Centres and Substantial Difference
  Ms Pamela Hulston, New Zealand Qualifications Authority (pdf, 500kb)