By Svetlana Marshall

AFTER years of slow progress, the National Accreditation Council of Guyana (NAC) is now on the move, according to its Executive Director Deborah Jack.The NAC, though in existence for 12 years, has been unable to effectively execute its mandate in keeping with the National Accreditation Council Act of 2004 due to a number of issues.

However, Jack, while speaking at the council’s first stakeholders’ workshop on Wednesday at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), said the tide is changing. With the financial backing of the European Union (EU), and guidance from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the council is initiating a project that will enable its growth and ability to effectively execute its mandate.

The project is called: “Strengthening of the National Accreditation Council – Guyana.” The project is divided into three components: Consultancy for the Draft Regulations and Fee Structure; Consultancy for the National Qualification Framework and Quality Assurance System; and The Evaluation of Qualification through the Equivalency Service.
Thursday’s workshop focused on the Consultancy for the Draft Regulations and Fee Structure component. That component has two primary objectives: to upgrade NAC’s regulatory framework to address current inadequacies which have prevented the council from effectively performing, and to develop a pricing structure for NAC’s services, which will improve the service-delivery capacity and sustainability of the council.

CONSULTANTS ON CONTRACT

Due to the lack of experience on the part of the NAC, the executive director explained that two consultants have been contracted to assist in the successful execution of the project.

She said John Charles – a legal drafter who hails from Dominica – has been contracted to develop a draft regulation for the council in keeping with the Act, while Michael Bradshaw – the Executive Director of the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) – has been contracted to develop standard operational procedures for the local council.

“As a result of their [ACTT] experience, we have asked them to help us in the process of developing our standard operational procedures. We call them manuals, manuals for all of our services,” she further explained, while pointing out that the NAC has services: programme approval, registration, accreditation, equivalency of foreign services and recognition.
Through the project,the NAC is expected to help the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in the area of equivalency of qualification in keeping with the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

CSME PROJECT

“So this project that we are implementing now through the first stakeholders’ workshop is part of a larger CSME project that is supporting the CARICOM regime for free movement of our persons across the Caribbean,” Jack explained.

NAC board member Archibald Clifton said the 11-member board stands ready to fulfil the objectives of the NAC with the support of the secretariat.

“The board is supported by a motivated secretariat which is understaffed at the moment, but most importantly demonstrates strong team momentum, enthusiasm and pride,” he told stakeholders present.

This Council according to Act 12 of 2004 is the principal body in Guyana for conducting and advising on the accreditation and recognition of educational and training institutions, providers, programmes and awards, whether foreign or national and for the promotion of the quality and standards of education and training in Guyana.
Clifton explained that the NAC offers several services pertaining to quality assurance at the post-secondary or tertiary level. These include registration of institutions within and outside of Guyana which offer courses in Guyana; accreditation of programmes; advice on the recognition of foreign institutions of education and training and their awards and to determine equivalency of programmes and qualifications in accordance with the framework established for the Caribbean Community.

He emphasised that any tertiary or post-secondary institution seeking registration with the National Accreditation Council of Guyana must satisfy the requirement of seven criteria and 22 standards. “These standards will be reviewed and modified periodically, [we will] ensure that they are current, valid, relevant and consistent with emerging trends and developments in the field of quality assurance and accreditation,” he posited.