Accreditation is one of the most important tools used globally for quality assurance of higher education systems. There are two types of accreditation: institutional accreditation and programme accreditation. 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 assessors. A Higher Education Institution shall be evaluated against eight standards outlined in this manual.
The accreditation process as outlined in this manual will assess a TEI 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 Council conducted pilot accreditation in 2015 with help of two experts from Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). Thereafter, the Council, over three years, has trained five batches of assessors and currently the Council has a pool of ……trained assessors. The Council embarked on real accreditation in 2016 and by the end of 2018, the first cycle of accreditation was completed for all the HEIs in Bhutan. Out of the 13 HEIs accredited, one HEI is in A+ category, eight HEIs were in “A” Category, three HEIs in “B” category and one HEI in “C” category. The second cycle of accreditation started off with accreditation of 4 HEIs in the financial year 2021-2022 upon expiry of the validity of the previous accreditation status.
The details of the first and second cycle of accreditation are as follows:
Details of First Cycle of Accreditation
|
S/No |
Institutions |
Date of Site Visit |
Grade |
Validity of Certificate |
Accreditor’s Report |
|
1. |
Gaeddu College of Business Studies |
23 - 26 May 2016 |
A (Very Good) |
28.06.2022 |
|
|
2. |
Royal Thimphu College |
1 - 4 June 2016 |
A+(Excellent) |
28.06.2023 |
|
| 3. |
Arura Academy of Health Sciences |
21-24 October 2019 | C (Satisfactory) | 15.12.2022 | ➢ View report |
|
4. |
Faculty of Nursing and Public Health |
12 - 15 June 2017 |
B (Good) |
27.06.2022 |
|
|
5. |
Faculty of Traditional Medicine |
5 - 8 June 2017 |
B (Good) |
27.06.2022 |
|
|
6. |
Paro College of Education |
22 - 25 May 2017 |
B (Good) |
27.06.2022 |
|
|
7. |
Samtse College of Education |
15 - 18 May 2017 |
A (Very Good) |
27.06.2023 |
|
| 8. |
College of Science and Technology |
6-9 November 2017 | A (Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 9. |
Jigme Namgyel Engineering College |
13-16 November 2017 | A(Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 10. |
Sherubtse College |
20-23 November 2017 | A (Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 11. |
College of Natural Resources |
19-22 March 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 12. |
College of Language and Culture Studies |
26-29 March 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 13. |
Royal Institute of Management |
2-5 April 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 14 |
Faculty of Postgraduate Medicine |
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 | 25-29 April 2022 | B (Good) | 28.06.2025 | ➢ View report |
| 2 | Faculty of Traditional Medicines | 25-29 April 2022 | A (VeryGood) | 27.06.2026 | ➢ View report |
| 3 | Faculty of Nursing and Public Health | 3-7 May 2022 | A (VeryGood) | 27.06.2026 | ➢ View report |
|
4 |
Paro College of Education | 3-7 May 2022 | A (VeryGood) | 27.06.2026 | ➢ View report |