UNESCO workshop brings Mauritius and Seychelles together to strengthen quality in higher education

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Regional Office for Southern Africa, in collaboration with the Quality Assurance Authority of Mauritius (QAA), is hosting a two-day capacity-building workshop on strengthening quality assurance in higher education in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The workshop, covering the Mauritius and Seychelles Chapters, is being held at the Caudan Arts Centre, Port Louis, on 27 and 28 October 2026.

The initiative aims at strengthening quality assurance practices within higher education institutions, promoting cooperation between Mauritius and Seychelles, and enhancing confidence in academic qualifications. It forms part of UNESCO’s regional capacity-building workshop series, following similar training sessions in Eswatini, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana. The workshop brings together government representatives, quality assurance directors from higher education institutions, national regulatory bodies and international experts.

Over the two days, participants will follow five training modules covering quality assurance frameworks and the recognition of qualifications, institutional responsibilities, assessment methods, curriculum design and evaluation, and digital transformation. Through presentations, discussions and practical exercises, they will explore institutional self-assessment, peer review, external evaluation and quality in digital learning.

The programme will also address UNESCO’s Campus Africa Flagship Programme, the Addis and Global Conventions on the recognition of higher education qualifications, and opportunities for regional cooperation under the HAQAA3 Initiative.

Present at the opening ceremony were the Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, Dr Kaviraj Sharma Sukon; the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Mauritius to UNESCO, Mrs Jasmine Marie Toulouse-Olivier; the Assistant Secretary-General of the Mauritius National Commission for UNESCO and Chief Technical Officer at the Ministry of Education and Human Resource, Mr Ricaud Auckbur; the Head of Education at the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa, Dr Peter Wells; the Principal Quality Assurance Officer for Recognition and Evaluation of Qualifications of the Seychelles Qualifications Authority, Mrs Joan Amade; and the Chairperson of the QAA, Mrs Anjanee Bhowon, along with other distinguished guests.

In his keynote address, Minister Sukon stressed the importance of building trust between higher education institutions in Africa to encourage student mobility and cooperation. He explained that institutions must have proper systems in place before their quality can be assessed. In this regard, he noted that amendments to the Higher Education Act had introduced an institutional accreditation system. “While the Higher Education Commission ensures that institutions have the necessary systems in place, the QAA checks whether these systems meet the required standards,” he said.

The Minister also highlighted the need for quality assurance frameworks to keep pace with changes in higher education, particularly in artificial intelligence, online learning and micro-credentials. He emphasised that these frameworks must be flexible enough to support new teaching methods while ensuring that qualifications remain valuable and graduates acquire the necessary skills.

Dr Sukon further highlighted the National Credit Value Transfer System, aiming at making it easier for students to transfer between institutions by recognising their credits. He also called for a common quality assurance code and stressed that quality assurance must lead to real improvements in teaching and learning. Finally, he encouraged greater cooperation among African institutions to strengthen trust in their education systems and the qualifications they award.

27 October 2026

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Topics: Education, Bilateral cooperation, Training