Jakarta, 6 March 2015

Press Release

The European Union and ASEAN cooperate to harmonise ASEAN Higher Education

The European Union (EU) and ASEAN are embarking on a new initiative which will contribute to the harmonisation of higher education in ASEAN. The new programme is called SHARE or “European Union Support to Higher Education in ASEAN”. The EU and a consortium of higher education institutions – led by the British Council – have signed an agreement on 5 January 2015 for the implementation of the programme which will be launched shortly for a duration of four years.

“The key idea is to share the EU’s experience with ASEAN. We want to support ASEAN in their efforts to improve standards. ASEAN Higher Education Institutions will draw on the experience of the EU’s Bologna process and the single European Higher Education Area (EHEA)”, said Colin Crooks, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to ASEAN.

“SHARE will contribute to the harmonisation of ASEAN higher education standards, the mutual recognition of certificates and diplomas and hence the mobility of students. The programme will further develop the ASEAN Qualification Framework and Quality Assurance. Students will be able to easily move between universities and colleges, through the ASEAN Credit Transfer System (ACTS) and the ASEAN-EU Credit Transfer System (AECTS). Scholarship schemes for student exchanges will also be available”, said Mr Crooks.

Deputy Secretary General for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), Alicia dela Rosa Bala said: “SHARE serves as a vehicle to strengthen the ASEAN-EU partnership, while at the same time supporting ASEAN’s goals of integration, community building and ASEAN connectivity. SHARE helps to underpin the ASEAN Community by 2015 and beyond”.

Sally Goggin, Country Director of the British Council stated: “The British Council is delighted to work for and on behalf of the EU. We lead a strong partnership between Campus France, DAAD, European University Association (EUA), European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and Nuffic. We are well-positioned to bring a wealth of experience and an extensive network. We hope it will enhance cooperation between the EU and the ASEAN Economic Community and create lasting benefits”.

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EUROPEAN UNION | Delegation to Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and ASEAN

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