Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC)
Mandates
Prior to 2023, the Council functioned as the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Division (QAAD), under the Department of Adult and Higher Education, Ministry of Education. QAAD served as the Secretariat to the Bhutan Accreditation Council, which was the national autonomous body for accreditation, quality assurance and recognition of qualifications.
With the establishment of Bhutan Qualifications and Professionals Certification Authority (BQPCA) on 9 January 2023 as per Section 25 of the Civil Service Reform Act 2022, QAAD was subsumed as one of the councils, namely the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC). The Council has the mandate to ensure provision for pursuit of quality higher education both within Bhutan and abroad with systemic mechanisms in place. Based on the Tertiary Education Policy of the Kingdom of Bhutan 2010, all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Bhutan shall be required to institute and maintain an effective quality assurance system. The quality assurance system shall ensure that the threshold quality standard of the HEIs is maintained.
The broad mandates of HEQC are as follows:
- Regulate quality of higher education institutes and programmes.
- Validate and recognize qualifications from both within and outside Bhutan based on BQF.
- Regulate the Education Consultancy and Placement Firms (ECPFs) in Bhutan.
- Provide guidance on accreditation, affiliations with other institutes, qualifications and regulations for higher education.
- Review the Bhutan Qualifications Framework.
- Serve as the Member Secretary in the Technical Advisory Committee of the Council and assist the member secretary in the Governing Council of the Authority based on the agenda.
Technical Advisory Committee
In accordance with the endorsement of the 1 st Governing Council meeting for Bhutan Qualifications and Professionals Certification Authority (BQPCA), Ministry of Education and Skill Development (MoESD) held on 4 th July 2024, the following are the Technical Advisory Committee(TAC) members for HEQC:
- Dr Dorji Thinley, President, Paro College of Education, Royal University of Bhutan (Chairperson)
- Dr Rinchen Dorji, Director General, Academic Affairs, Royal University of Bhutan (Member)
- Mr Rixin Jamtsho, Director, Medical Education Centre for Research Innovation and Technology, KGUMSB (Member)
- Dr Chencho Lhamu, Dean, Development and External Relations, Royal Thimphu College, RUB (Member)
- Mr Sonam Tshering, Associate Dean for the Jigme Singye Wangchuck Law Research Centre (Member)
- Dr Ugyen Tshewang, Director, BQPCA (Ex-officio Member)
- Mrs Tashi Lhamo, Chief Program Officer, BQPCA (Member Secretary)
As the national agency to regulate the quality of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the TAC shall be, but not limited to the following:
- Endorse the process of accreditation of higher education institutions, qualifications and programmes
- Resolve issues related to Recognition of Qualifications
- Endorse standards for Higher Education Institutions in Bhutan.
- Review frameworks, standards, regulations, guidelines and SOPs related to higher education quality assurance
- Constitute time-bound technical working groups as and when necessary to develop standards, guidelines and regulatory tools and recommend to the Governing Council on technical aspects for efficient regulatory enforcement.
Accreditation/EQA
Accreditation is one of the most important tools used globally for quality assurance of higher education systems. There are two types of accreditations: institutional accreditation and programme accreditation. Accreditation is based on the Accreditation: Principles, Processes and Standards for the Tertiary Education Institutions in Bhutan 2012. Accreditation aims to assess its own performance, review its planning procedure and identify ways to enhance its educational effectiveness. The accreditation process is based on a thorough and independent evaluation carried out by a team of trained assessors. A Higher Education Institution shall be evaluated against eight standards outlined in the Institutional Accreditation Manual (IAM) 2020. link to the Institutional Accreditation Manual and Rubrics for Institutional Accreditation, and the Accreditation Principles
The accreditation process as outlined in the IAM will assess a HEI based on a set of eight Standards which are formulated through wide stakeholder consultations, research and international best practice. Each Standard has Key Aspects and Indicators that are significant, relevant, measurable and achievable. The eight Standards are:
- Governance, Leadership and Management
- Curriculum Design and Review
- Teaching Learning and Assessment
- Human Resources and Services
- Research, Publications and Linkages
- Infrastructure and Learning Resources
- Student Services
- Internal Quality Assurance and Enhancement System
The grading is based on the marks obtained out of 1000 as follows:
| Range of Total Weighted Average Score | Grade | Performance Descriptor | Validity |
| 851-1000 | A+ | Excellent | 5 years |
| 751-850 | A | Very Good | 4 years |
| 501-750 | B | Good | 3 years |
| 376-500 | C | Satisfactory | 2 years |
| 375 and below | D | Unsatisfactory/Not Accredited | Not Accredited |
The Council conducted pilot accreditation in 2015 with help of two experts from Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). The Council embarked on real accreditation in 2016 and by the end of 2022, the first cycle of accreditation was completed for all eligible HEIs in Bhutan. The Council began the 2nd cycle accreditation from 2021-2022.
The details of the accreditation status and their validity are as follows:
| S/No | Institutions | Date of Site Visit | Grade | Validity of Certificate | Accreditor’s Report |
| 1. | Gedu College of Business Studies www.gcbs.edu.bt | 23 – 26 May 2016 | A (Very Good) | 28.06.2022 | ➢ View report |
| 2. | Royal Thimphu College www.rtc.bt | 1 – 4 June 2016 | A+(Excellent) | 28.06.2023 | ➢ View report |
| 3. | Arura Academy of Health Sciences www.arura.edu. | 21-24 October 2019 | C (Satisfactory) | 15.12.2022 | ➢ View report |
| 4. | Faculty of Nursing and Public Health www.fnph.edu.bt | 12 – 15 June 2017 | B (Good) | 27.06.2022 | ➢ View report |
| 5. | Faculty of Traditional Medicine www.ftm.edu.bt | 5 – 8 June 2017 | B (Good) | 27.06.2022 | ➢ View report |
| 6. | Paro College of Education www.pce.edu.bt | 22 – 25 May 2017 | B (Good) | 27.06.2022 | ➢ View report |
| 7. | Samtse College of Education www.sce.edu.bt | 15 – 18 May 2017 | A (Very Good) | 27.06.2023 | ➢ View report |
| 8. | College of Science and Technology www.cst.edu.bt | 6-9 November 2017 | A (Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 9. | Jigme Namgyel Engineering College www.jnec.edu.bt | 13-16 November 2017 | A(Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 10. | Sherubtse College www.sherubtse.edu.bt | 20-23 November 2017 | A (Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 11. | College of Natural Resources www.cnr.edu.bt | 19-22 March 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 12. | College of Language and Culture Studies www.clcs.edu.bt | 26-29 March 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 13. | Royal Institute of Management www.rim.edu.bt | 2-5 April 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 14 | Faculty of Postgraduate Medicinehttp://fopgm.edu.bt/ | 10-14th May, 2021 | B (Good) | 01/06/2024 | ➢ View report |
Details of Second Cycle of Accreditation
| S/No | Institutions | Date of Site Visit | Grade | Validity of Certificate | Accreditor’s Report |
| 1 | Gedu College of Business Studies www.gcbs.edu.bt | 25-29 April 2022 | B (Good) | 28.06.2025 | ➢ View report |
| 2 | Faculty of Traditional Medicines www.ftm.edu.bt | 25-29 April 2022 | A (VeryGood) | 27.06.2026 | ➢ View report |
| 3 | Faculty of Nursing and Public Health www.fnph.edu.bt | 3-7 May 2022 | A (VeryGood) | 27.06.2026 | ➢ View report |
| 4 | Paro College of Education www.pce.edu.bt | 3-7 May 2022 | A (VeryGood) | 27.06.2026 | ➢ View report |
| 5 | Norbuling Rigter College www.nrc.bt | 20-25 November 2022 | B (Good) | 19.12.2025 | ➢ View report |
| 6 | Arura Academy of Health www.arura.edu.bt | 20-25 November 2022 | B (Good) | 15.12.2025 | ➢ View report |
| 7 | Royal Thimphu College www.rtc.bt | 1-5 May 2023 | A+ (Excellent) | 28.6.2028 | ➢ View report |
| 8 | Samtse College of Education www.sce.edu.bt | 6-10 November 2022 | A (Very Good) | 27.06.2027 | ➢ View report |
| 9 | Jigme Namgyel Engineering College www.jnec.edu.bt | 5-9 December 2024 | A (Very Good) | 7.01.2028 | ➢ View report |
Recognition of Qualifications
The Bhutan Qualifications Framework (BQF) empowers the Council to provide recognition of qualifications services. The Guidelines for Recognition of Qualifications not only ensure transparency, professionalism and objectivity in the decision-making process but also institute a duly documented system for recognition and/or validation of qualifications.
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Education Consultancy and Placement Firm
To ensure quality and protection of student interests, the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) and the Bhutan Qualifications and Professionals Certification Authority (BQPCA) oversee and regulate the services provided by ECPFs. Education Consultancy and Placement Firms (ECPFs) in Bhutan play a crucial role in assisting students aspiring to pursue higher studies abroad. It is mandated to guide and support students in making informed decisions about the choice of programs and institutions outside Bhutan. They are responsible for placing students in recognized institutions abroad, based on factors such as aptitude, economic considerations, and client preferences. ECPFs are responsible for processing student admissions to various programs (minimum of diploma level) in recognized institutions.
Overall, ECPFs play a vital role in facilitating the dreams of Bhutanese students to study abroad by providing valuable guidance and support throughout the process, ensuring they have access to quality education in recognized institutions around the world.
External Linkages Collaboration
Being the national quality assurance agency in Bhutan, the erstwhile Quality Assurance and Accreditation Division attained as intermediate membership to Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) and full membership to International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Considering the benefits from these quality agencies, the transformed quality assurance (QA) agency in higher education (HE) in Bhutan, viz. Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) under Bhutan Qualifications and Professionals Certification Authority continued to be a member to these two networks.
Hours
Daily 9.00 am–5.00 pm
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