Conference Declaration
Quality Assurance of Internationally Viable Higher Education
July 24, 2002
(Introduction and Background Explanation)
Globalization of world economy is continuing to progress.

In addition to theincreasing sophistication and div ersification of means for information transfer,transportation and communication costs are decreasing.

What is more, thelegislativ e barriers between countries that impair the distribution of goods, serv icesand capital are tending to be torn down through the efforts of related countries
striv ing for the promotion of free trade.

As the barriers are being remov ed throughthe self-help efforts of participating countries, gov ernment efficiency is being
promoted and persons throughout the world are reaping the benefits of numerous
technologies and high-quality products and serv ices.

Efforts toward deregulationand priv atization are related to dev elopment of globalization.

In addition to these

efforts, the role to be fulfilled by gov ernments continues to be important in terms ofensuring social justice by supplying basic public serv ices and fulfilling the function ofregulating the principle of market competition.

More than these, howev er, in orderfor globalization ov ercoming its problems, to contribute to the formation of a v ibrantcivil society on a global scale, and serve as an effective means of promoting fair andsustainable growth, each of the countries that compose the European, North
American, Latin American, Asian, African and Oceanic regions will be earnestly
required to construct an international framework for forming a new order that
promotes globalization from the standpoint of equality and mutual benefits for all
countries involved.
Global trade with respect to higher education serv ices has primarily been realized ina form in which students physically mov e among countries.

This system of studying

abroad will most likely continue to occupy a prominent position in terms of enabling
students to grow as human beings through direct contact with different cultures andacquiring of new knowledge and skills through actual experience.

Howev er, today

there exists on the higher education market a div erse range of means and methods
for international distribution of higher education.

A few examples of these include

the establishment of ov erseas branch of univ ersities, joint degree programs based onagreements with ov erseas univ ersities and so forth, and E-learning programs.

With

respect to E-learning programs in particular, they are quite unique in that the1prov iding of educational materials, teaching itself and other v arious serv ices tostudents are implemented more or less ov er the Internet going beyond the barriers oftime and space, they can be implemented easily by non-profit organizations, profitoriented organizations and even government agencies depending on the particularcase, and the degree of the role played by priv ate companies undertaking thedevelopment and supplying of educational materials is growing.
Coupled with the rapid proliferation of E-learning programs, this div ersification of themeans for prov iding higher education is further accelerating the pace at which theglobalization of higher education is promoted.

This higher education naturally also

includes v arious degree programs serv ing as the foundation for v ocational
qualifications.
In consideration of these circumstances, higher education quality assurance
agencies throughout the world, while considering international collaboration among
themselv es, are implementing measures for assuring the quality of globally deployedhigher education from the same global v iewpoint through policies like thosedescribed below.
Firstly, quality assurance agencies are endeav oring to self-improv e to enhance theobjectiv ity and transparency by making their own quality assurance systems
compatible with globalization of higher education.

During the course of these trials, itis necessary to establish suitable indicators and organizational systems for ev aluating
globalization of higher education, as well as study methods for allowing participationof stakeholders of higher education in the ev aluating system.

It is also important toeffectively publicize the results of evaluations to stakeholders, including persons intent
upon entering universities, in order to fulfill the obligations of accountability.
In assuring the quality of higher education, the role of independent public institutions(including university communities and academic associations) is important.

They willserve as a mediator between the government and private sectors while maintaining
the distance between them.

It is also necessary to promote the maturity of thepluralistic higher education quality assurance agencies of the gov ernment, publicand priv ate sectors within society.

This will be indispensable for the distribution ofhigher education services in the global market.
Secondly, in the case of univ ersities under the jurisdiction of their own country2deploying activ ities by establishing an educational branch in another country, thehigher education quality assurance agencies of the country are attempting toestablish systems responsible for the quality assurance of higher educational programs
being deployed in the other country, while respecting the culture of that country, as apart of the comprehensiv e ev aluation of those univ ersities.

In the establishment ofsuch systems, it is essential to seek out ways to collaborate with the higher education
quality assurance agencies of country where such an education branch is located,
including conducting of evaluation visits employing a joint sponsorship method.
Thirdly, in order to enhance international reliability and transnational v alidity of thehigher educational programs, efforts are being made to establish a system by which
the effects of quality assurance on higher education institutions and programs
function equally effectiv ely in other countries.

In other words, this inv olv es theestablishment of a quality assurance system at the international lev el relating tomutual recognition.

This mutual recognition system will serv e, with regard toaccreditation of educational programs, as an international framework for confirming
the competencies of students and graduates.

It is also expected to function, withregard to institutional accreditation, as acomprehensiv e locus of quality

management for higher education institutions.
Fourthly, efforts are being actualized towards, in addition to a system of mutual
recognition, the sharing of ev aluation criteria and indicators among quality
assurance agencies

acrosscountryboundaries

interms

ofguaranteeing

comparability of ev aluation results with respect to higher education institutions andprograms.

The establishment of outcome indicators will likely be an important issue inguaranteeing the abilities of students and graduates to employers.
Fifthly, in order to promote internationally reliable quality assurance activities for highereducation, and enhance their v alidity, the creation of a system for internationalrecognition of the higher education quality assurance agencies of each country is an
important challenge for the future.

The International Network for Quality Assurance

Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) is expected to play a leading role towards
the realization of such a system.

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[Tokyo Declaration]
It is important to enhance the international v alidity of the ev aluations performed by
the higher education quality assurance agencies of each country for promotion anddev elopment of sophisticated and div erse education and research by highereducation institutions throughout the world.

In addition, towards further activ ationof the distribution of serv ices and goods that goes beyond national borders there is astrong need for the establishment of a system for mutual recognition between
countries of higher education institutions and programs, which forms a base ofinternational harmonization of qualifications.
International collaboration among higher education quality assurance agencies
around the world will be indispensable for activ ely promoting efforts towards theenhancement of the international v alidity of ev aluations and the establishment ofsuch a system of mutual recognition among agencies.
In the European region, coupled with efforts towards the creation of a unified
economic region in the form of consolidation of the European Union, studies arecontinuing on encouraging the establishment of quality assurance arrangements forpromoting competitiv eness and attractiv eness of European Higher Education.
“Transparency” and “Equiv alence” are key words of the Bologna Declaration.
The need for the establishment of higher education quality assurance systems,
including mutual recognition, is growing rapidly in the Asian-Pacific region as well.
The higher education quality assurance agencies of Japan are trying to worktogether towards establishment of a higher education quality assurance network inthe region, and desire to make international contributions while obtaining
understanding and cooperation from higher education quality assurance agenciesof related countries.
The Japan Univ ersity Accreditation Association (JUAA) is a univ ersity accreditation
association that fulfills the role of assuring the quality of higher education in Japanthrough transversely evaluating national, public and private universities. In addition,
JUAA hopes to make international contributions within the framework of theInternational Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE)
collaborating with the quality assurance agencies in the region.

At the same time,

JUAA is engaged in a broad-based reform of its univ ersity accreditation system inorder to enhance the international validity of Japanese universities.

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