CEENQA Celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Its Establishment with a Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Quality Assurance

June 17, 2026

In 2026, the Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEENQA) celebrated the 25th anniversary of its establishment. The anniversary conference focused on the use of artificial intelligence in external quality assurance processes in higher education. The programme explored both the opportunities and the challenges associated with the integration of AI tools into the work of quality assurance agencies, including their application in data analysis, decision-making support, and the digitalisation of evaluation procedures. Particular attention was also paid to the need to maintain transparency, uphold ethical principles, and preserve expert human judgement in the use of these technologies.  

As part of the anniversary events, the CEENQA General Assembly reviewed the network’s activities, discussed organisational matters, and elected new leadership for the upcoming term. Simona Lache was elected President of CEENQA, while Lasha Margishvili was elected Vice-President. The General Assembly also elected new members of the Board and approved the admission of the National Quality Assurance Agency for Education (NQAAE) of Uzbekistan as CEENQA’s newest member. 

CEENQA is an international network bringing together quality assurance agencies in higher education from Central and Eastern Europe. Its mission is to foster cooperation among member organisations, facilitate the exchange of experience and good practice, and contribute to the development of quality assurance systems within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The former Czech Accreditation Commission was one of the founding members of the network, then operating under the name CEEN, and one of the network’s first presidents was Professor Milan Sojka, who at the time served as Vice-Chair of the Czech Accreditation Commission. The National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education (NAB) has been a member of CEENQA since 2016.  

The NAB Chair at the Conference on Quality Assurance in Higher Education 

28 May 2026

At the annual conference Quality Assessment of Higher Education Institutions in Telč, Prof. Jaroslav Miller, Chair of the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education, presented the priorities for the following four-year period: institutional consolidation of the bureau, development of quality culture in tertiary education, strengthening transparency and trust among stakeholders, and international engagement. The presentation is available on the conference website. 

ENQA Members´ Forum

May 21, 2026

Revision of the ESG was one of the main topics of the ENQA Members´ Forum, which took place on April 22–24, 2026, in Budapest, with representatives from NAB in attendance. The revision of the standards is already at a very advanced stage; the entire two-year process, in which ENQA representatives are actively involved, is expected to conclude with the adoption of the final document in May 2027. The revised ESG will take into account some recent trends in higher education (such as artificial intelligence), but will also strengthen the emphasis on the professionalism and integrity of quality assurance agencies as well as the transparency of their activities. The theme of building trust in quality assurance of higher education was a common thread throughout the forum, and significant attention was also paid to phenomena that undermine trust: fraud, corruption, and the so-called “degree mills.” Despite robust quality assurance systems and intensive international cooperation, these phenomena remain widespread, and combating them requires institutionalized joint efforts at the European level, which are concentrated within the ETINED platform.

International Seminar on Alignment with the ESG

March 17, 2026

Is the Czech national quality assurance system for higher education, following the amendment to the Higher Education Act, sufficiently aligned with the ESG for the NAB to become a full member of ENQA and be listed in EQAR? This question was addressed by participants at a seminar with international attendance. The aim of the event, organized by NAB, was to review developments in the area of key quality assurance priorities since 2021, when the National Action Plan for the Development of Quality Assurance in the Czech Republic was created as part of the Erasmus+ SEQA-ESG project. Stakeholders from the higher education institutions, students, and NAB expert evaluators discussed the alignment of Czech legislation and NAB activities with the ESG requirements, which represent generally accepted and applied quality assurance standards in the European context. The seminar also provided participants from higher education institutions, the Ministry of Education, and the employer sector with a unique opportunity to learn from the perspectives of representatives from the European organizations ENQA and EQAR, who shared their experiences with the development of quality assurance systems in a broader international context. Full integration into these European structures, based on alignment with the ESG, remains a long-term priority for NAB.

Presentations

• What has the National Accreditation Bureau ever done for you ?
• Czech Higher Education within the European Area of Quality Assurance
• Student Involvement in Quality Assurance at Higher Education Institutions in the Czech Republic
• Reflections on Developments in Quality Assurance of Czech HEIs
• The importance of quality assurance at European and national level
• Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area

Transformation of NAB

July 1, 2025

The National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education (Národní akreditační úřad pro vysoké školství), established on September 1, 2016, by Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education Institutions and on Amendments and Supplements to Other Acts (the Higher Education Act), as amended, transforms into the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education (Národní akreditační úřad pro terciární vzdělávání) as of July 1, 2025.

The National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education (NAB) is a legal entity under public law established by the Higher Education Act. Its statutory body is its chairperson, Prof. Mgr. Jaroslav Miller, M.A., Ph.D.

Headquarters of the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education:

U Lužického semináře

13 118 00 Prague 1

Contact information for correspondence:

Email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Data box ID: k9z3e3y

The website will be continuously updated and expanded.