The Norwegian Approach to the Recognition of Refugees ... · NOKUT considers •the status of the educational institution and the qualification in the country where the education

The Norwegian Approach to the

Recognition of Refugees’ Qualifications

Joachim Gümüs Kallevig

Head of Information

Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education

(NOKUT)

Topics

• What is NOKUT?

• Recognition – more than a technical exercise

• General recognition

• Tools and recognition procedures - relevance for

and interaction with HEIs:

I. UVD - Recognition Procedure for Persons with

Insufficient / Non-Verifiable Documentation

II. Students at Risk

III. (European) Qualification Passport for Refugees

The Norwegian Approach to the Recognition of Refugees` Qualifications

NOKUT’s mandate

External quality assurance of Norwegian education

o NOKUT conducts quality assurance and contributes

to quality enhancement of education provided by

Norwegian higher education institutions and tertiary

vocational colleges

Recognition of foreign education qualifications

o NOKUT recognises foreign higher education

qualifications in response to applications by individuals,

and provides information about international education

systems and the Norwegian system for recognition of

foreign qualifications

•National Contact Point for EU Directive on the recognition of

professional qualifications

•National Contact Point for for NQF / EQF

The Norwegian Approach to the Recognition of Refugees`Qualifications

Quality Assurance – Recognition – Qualifications Frameworks


Before we get into technical details...

• Recognition of a qualification is…

…more than a technical exercise

…more than a preparation for further studies or

employment

…recognition of the human behind the

qualification

• Early recognition of refugees’ qualifications is a key

to build inclusive societies

• Inclusion – empowerment – participation

• Reduce the risk of (social, political, economical)

alienation


International obligations

• The Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications

concerning Higher Education in the European Region

(The Lisbon Convention), Article VII.

• Recommendations stated in the European Area of

Recognition Manual, Chapter 12: Refugees

• More than a moral obligation


Article 7 - RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS HELD BY

REFUGEES, DISPLACED PERSONS AND PERSONS IN A REFUGEE

- LIKE SITUATION

Each Party shall take all feasible and reasonable steps

within the framework of its education system and in

conformity with its constitutional, legal, and regulatory

provisions to develop procedures designed to assess fairly

and expeditiously whether refugees, displaced persons

and persons in a refugee-like situation fulfill the

relevant requirements for access to higher education, to

further higher education programmes or to

employment activities, even in cases in which the

qualifications obtained in one of the Parties cannot be

proven through documentary evidence.


Norwegian experience

2005: Special recognition procedure for refugees - responsibility of

Norwegian higher education institutions

2011-12: Pilot project on the recognition of foreign higher education

qualifications for persons with incomplete documentation,

initiated and completed on commission from the Norwegian

Ministry of Education and Research (KD)

2013: Recognition procedure for persons without verifiable

documentation (UVD-procedure)

2014: UVD-methodology as a crucial element in SiU’s ‘Students at Risk’

scheme

2015: NOKUT launches idea of a multi-national action on recognition of

refugees’ qualifications – European Qualification Passport for

Refugees

2016: NOKUT’s qualification passport for refugees


General Recognition


NOKUT’s General Recognition

In order for NOKUT to assess a qualification awarded

in a foreign country:

• The application must be adequately documented

and if necessary verified by the place of study or the

authorities in the country of origin

• The link between identity and the education

documents must be substantiated


NOKUT considers

• the status of the educational

institution and the

qualification in the country

where the education was

received,

• the length of the program,

• the level of the program

Verification if necessary

NOKUT’s decision

• informs about the length of

the program,

• the number of credits the

program is worth, and

• the corresponding Norwegian

academic degree for the

program, given it exists

Equivalent/comparable, or

not identicalThe Norwegian Approach to the Recognition of Refugees`Qualifications

NOKUT’s General Recognition

What if you can’t submit the required

documentation or if the documentation is

insufficient?

Applicants with foreign higher education, that is

education at the level of university/university

college, who cannot be granted general recognition

due to missing, insufficient or unverifiable

documentation are referred to the Recognition

Procedure for Persons without Verifiable

Documentation (UVD-procedure)

About 250 applicants/year


UVD

Recognition Procedure for Applicants with Insufficient /

Non-Verifiable Documentation


UVD – Background I

Special recognition procedure for refugees since

2005 - Responsibility of Norwegian higher education

institutions (tests, interview)

2005 – 2010: This scheme unfortunately did not

work as intended, in particular with regard to:

equal treatment of the applicants

quality assurance of the assessment processes

status of the final document

Recognition Procedure for Persons with Insufficient / Non-Verifiable Documentation| 14 04.05.2016

UVD – Background II

Pilot project 2011-2012 – initiated and completed on commission from the

Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

• Develop an improved procedure for the recognition of higher education

qualifications for persons who apply for general recognition, but whose

applications are rejected because they have no possibility of documenting

or verifying their qualifications in a satisfactory manner

• Ensure that persons are able to be acknowledged for their qualifications on

the Norwegian labour market

Joint project between NOKUT and Norwegian higher education institutions:

Recognition Procedure for Persons with Insufficient / Non-Verifiable Documentation| 15

NOKUT

• Application for general recognition

HEIs

• Expert assessment

NOKUT

• Final decision on general recognition

04.05.2016

UVD – Methodology

• Centralized national procedure;

• Standardized procedures for mapping/surveying of

applicant’s educational background;

• Standardized interviews;

• Standardized process for expert assessment;

• Country profile expertise

• Ensures equal treatment

• Society will more rapidly benefit from the

applicants competences


Recognition procedure for persons without

verifiable documentation – an alternative way to

recognition of qualification


Application for general recognition

- Assessment of documentation

- Verification, if necessary

Legally binding

decision on recognition as

on par with Norwegian

highereducation

Mapping of applicant’s background

NOKUT’s assessment/level

placement of qualifications

Assessment by expert committee

appointed by NOKUT

Ordinary process for NOKUT's general recognition

Recognititon procedure for persons without verifiable

documentation

The Model of Recognition


Stage 1

• Application for general recognition and referral to recognition procedure for persons without verifiable documentation

Stage 2• Mapping of applicant’s background and assessment of result

Stage 3

• NOKUT’s assessment/level placement of qualifications and setting up of a committee of experts

Stage 4• Assessment by expert committee appointed by NOKUT

Stage 5

• Final assessment / NOKUT’s decision on general recognition and filing in archives

Joseph

University of Kinshasa,

DRC

• 1994: Licence en

Sciences Economiques

• 1996: Diplôme

d’Etudes Approfondies

en Economie et

Finance Internationale

• 1998: Diplôme


en Gestion et

Management Qualite


• Applied for NOKUT's general recognition in

January 2014

• Was not able to provide a single document for his

three degrees

• Referred to the recognition procedure for applicants

with insufficient / non-verifiable documentation


Stage 1

• Application for general recognition and referral to recognition procedure for persons without verifiable documentation

Questionnaire: reconstruction/ detalied description

of all three degrees

… he filled 40 pages with descriptions of courses

Statement of language profficiency in Norwegian

His level of proficiency was verified during the preliminary

interview

Residence permit in Norway

All three requirements were satisfied

He continued to the next stage


Stage 2

• Mapping of applicant’s background and assessment of result

He was not able to provide NOKUT with any document

whatsoever

NOKUT cross checked the information given by him to

provide as acurate information for the committee as

possible

o Does/did the educational institution exist? Is/was it

accredited/officially recognized? Does/did it have Faculty of

Economic Sciences?

o Does/did educational institution provide these programs?

o What is/was the scope of the programmes?

o Does NOKUT have any available sources of information about

the courses in the programs?


Stage 3

• NOKUT’s level placement of qualifications and the setting up of a committee of experts

International databases

UK NARIC, AEI, ANABIN

NOKUT’s own database

NOKUT’s archive – any well documented files from

this institution?

NOKUT’s library

Assistance from ENIC-NARIC offices


Stage 3

• NOKUT’s level placement of qualifications and the setting up of a committee of experts

The committee consisted of two professors and

one representative from NOKUT

The committee were provided with the following

documentation:• Questionnaire filled in by the applicant

• NOKUT’s level placement of his degrees

• Information about the education system in DRC

• Copies of transcripts from similar files (to see content of the

academic program)

• Applicant’s CV, reference letters

• Draft for the final report



Home assignment (3 days)

Interviewed by the committee (2 hours)

The report (5 pages) had a clear conclusion on

whether or not the applicant has the stated

degrees:

«The candidate passed the exam. The experts

were impressed by the candidate’s abilities and

overall knowledge. There is clear evidence that

the degrees were completed by the candidate.»



• 1994: Licence en

Sciences Economiques

• 1996: Diplôme


en Economie et

Finance Internationale

• 1998: Diplôme


en Gestion et

Management Qualite

• 1994: Bachelor’s

degree (3 years/180

ECTS)

• 1996: Master’s degree

(2 years/120 ECTS)

• 1998: Master’s degree

(2 years/120 ECTS)

= 7 years higher

education/ 420 ECTS


Stage 5

• Final assessment / NOKUT’s decision on general recognition and filing in archives

Does it work?


Survey of applicants 2013-2014

• 2013: 52 % got a relevant job or were admitted to HEI

• 2014: 49 % found NOKUT's recognition helpful when

applying for jobs or studies in Norway

• 84 % were satisfied with the recognition scheme

• 92 % would recommend the recognition scheme to others


http://www.reinertsen.no/

http://www.reinertsen.no/

https://www.akersolutions.com/en/

https://www.akersolutions.com/en/

http://www.octio.no/

http://www.octio.no/


• The process is time consuming for the

applicant

• The process requires motivation and active

participation from the applicant

• It is an expensive procedure

Yet, the results from the survey indicate that the

procedure has a high economic value for the

Norwegian economy and society


Students at Risk


Students at Risk

• Purpose of the program: To advance human and

civil rights

• Students who are expelled from HEIs due to

human rights activism can apply for a scholarship

to complete their studies in Norway

• Financed by Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

(MFA)

• Partners – SIU, MFA (embassies), HEIs, NOKUT

• First students (20) were admitted 2015

• From 2016 40 students annually


Student at Risk – NOKUT’s role I


The embassy screens the student’s «political situation» (level of risk due to human rights/civil activism)

NOKUT receives an application package

NOKUT see if the desired study program is matching the student’s academic background

NOKUT contacts the applicant for the admissions procedure

Student at Risk – NOKUT’s role II


Academic records (transcripts, diploma etc.) are complete

Higher Education Institution

Academic records are incomplete

Adjusted Recognition Procedure for Persons without Verifiable

Documentation

NOKUT cooperates with HEIs to screen the student’s academic background

(interview/skype, testing etc.)

HEI is admitting the student

European Qualifications’ Passport for

Refugees

The current situation demonstrates that newly-arrived refugees need a

similar opportunity


Current challenges and possible solutions

Current refugee crisis concerns the European states,

but

• Different legislation

• Different assessment practices

• Different financial situation

• Different labour markets

• Different number of refugees


European Qualification Passport for Refugees –

a common, fast, effective and easily implementable

solution

What could it be?

• A document containing advisory statement concerning refugees’ qualification(s).

• A document which provides necessary information about the refugee’s

educational and training background, which will enable the relevant authorities in

any European country to better organize for the realization of the refugees’ plans

for the future with respect to work and further education

Who is it for?

The European Qualification Passport for Refugees is issued to newly arrived

refugees


Syria? Iraq? Egypt? Higher education? Completed?

Bachelor? Master? Title? Qualification?...


European Qualification Passport for

Refugees Passport No.

47XXXXXX

Date of issue

28.10.2015

Date of expiry

28.10.2018

Family name

MGiven name

SoniaPrevious name, if any

N/A

Date of birth

01.01.1982

Sex Country of origin, place of birth

F Syria, Homs

Signature

Sonia M

Educational background / highest educational qualification

achieved

2005: Bachelor of Civil Engineering, University

of Damascus, Syria (4 years higher education)

Additional information

2005-2013: Project Assistant, Homs Building

dep., Syria

Language proficiency

Native language: Arabic

Other languages: English, French

National education system (description of the educational

system in the country where the highest qualification was taken)

Information/guidance on further recognition procedures available

from ENIC-NARIC offices. Link to the ENIC-NARIC website


NOKUT’s qualification passport for

refugees

• Trial run

(February-April

2016)

• First passport

issued 24.

February 2016


Some conclusions



Centralized scheme is an advantage:

• Standardized procedures

Equal treatment of candidates

• Applicants have just one liason body to

deal with

• NOKUT with its central role builds up

expertise

Less time-consuming and more

efficient processes



Why NOKUT’s general recognition and not

academic equivalence at the HEIs?

Not all foreign degrees can be given academic

equivalence with the programs existing at Norwegian

HEIs

• Old degrees

• Lower level of degrees compared to Norwegian

standard, e.g. engineering

• The combination of subjects etc.



Why NOKUT’s general recognition and not

academic equivalence at the HEIs?

Important for the applicants to receive an official

document (statement of comparability) which confirms

that it has been verified that the qualification in essence

provides competence equivalent to a Norwegian course

of study at the same level

Cost effective and practical to use the system for

NOKUT's general recognition


NOKUT’s way ahead

• Continue to use Norway as a laboratory of

recognition practices

• NOKUT will coordinate the project on development

of a toolkit for recognition of refugees’

qualifications;

• NOKUT is willing to share extensive experience

and ideas on implementation of recognition

schemes for refugees;

• NOKUT welcomes multi-national action on

recognition of refugees’ qualifications



Thank you for your attention!

www.nokut.no

[email protected]


http://www.nokut.no/

mailto:[email protected]

The Norwegian Approach to the Recognition of Refugees ... · NOKUT considers •the status of the educational institution and the qualification in the country where the education

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