European Standards and Guidelines now available in Welsh

QAA has commissioned and produced the first Welsh language translation of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area – also known as the European Standards and Guidelines or ESG.

This has been published on the website of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), alongside translations of the ESG in nearly 30 different languages - from Albanian to Ukrainian.

The ESG articulates a set of guiding principles for the quality assurance and enhancement of higher education. It is owned by the sector stakeholders of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Its development was led by ENQA, in partnership with the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) and other major sector organisations, including the European University Association, the European Students' Union and EURASHE, the European association promoting applied higher education.

The ESG was formally adopted by Ministers responsible for higher education in nations within the EHEA in 2005, and a revised edition was agreed and published in 2015.

QAA Cymru uses the ESG as a key regulatory reference point which, alongside the UK Quality Code, underpins the Quality Enhancement Review - the method by which QAA Cymru reviews regulated higher education providers in Wales as part of the Quality Assessment Framework for Wales. 

The UK Quality Code, which is also published in Welsh, is itself aligned with the ESG. This alignment helps providers to design and shape their quality and standards frameworks to internationally recognised standards.

QAA has translated all parts of the ESG for the first time in order to promote and raise awareness of the important role of Welsh in higher education in Wales, in support of Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 strategy and the funding and regulatory body Medr’s priority of promoting tertiary education through the medium of Welsh.

‘As a body operating for the public good in Wales, we have a strong commitment to Welsh language and are committed to ensuring that we promote the use of the Welsh language,’ explained Holly Thomas, Quality and Enhancement Specialist at QAA Cymru. ‘We hope this will not only help Welsh speakers in their understanding and appreciation of the expectations and requirements of internal and external quality assurance processes, and of quality assurance agencies themselves, but will also support the broader recognition, promotion and appreciation of the Welsh language.’