13 DE MAIO DE 1999

1792-(161)

Article VI.4

An assessment in a Party of a higher education qualification issued in another Party may take the form of:

a) Advice for general employment purposes;

b) Advice to an educational institution for the purpose of admission into its programmes;

c) Advice to any other competent recognition authority.

Article VI.5

Each Party may make the recognition of higher education qualifications issued by foreign educational institutions operating in its territory contingent upon specific requirements of national legislation or specific agreements concluded with the Party of origin of such institutions.

SECTION VII

Recognition of qualifications held by refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation

Article VII

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 fulfil 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.

SECTION VIII

information on the assessment of higher education institutions and programmes

Article VIII.l

Each Party shall provide, adequate information on any institution belonging to its higher education system, and on any programme operated by these institutions, with a view to enabling the competent authorities of other Parties to ascertain whether the quality of the qualifications issued by these institutions justifies recognition in the Party in which recognition is sought. Such information shall take the following form:

a) In the case of Parties having established a system of formal assessment of higher education institutions and programmes: information on the methods and results of this assessment, and of the standards of quality specific to each type of higher education institution granting, and to programmes leading to, higher education qualifications;

b) In the case of Parties which have not established a system of formal assessment of higher education institutions and programmes: information on the recognition of the various qualifications obtained at any higher education insti-

tution, or within any higher education programme, belonging to their higher education systems.

Article VIII.2

Each Party shall make adequate provisions for the development, maintenance and provision of:

a) An overview of the different types of higher education institutions belonging to its higher education system, with the typical characteristics of each type of institution;

b) A list of recognized institutions (public and private) belonging to its higher education system, indicating their powers to award different types of qualifications and the requirements for gaining access to each type of institution and programme;

c) A description of higher education programmes;

d) A list of educational institutions located outside its territory which the Party considers as belonging to its education system.

SECTION IX Information on recognition matters

Article IX.l

In order to facilitate the recognition of qualifications concerning higher education, the Parties undertake to establish transparent systems for the complete description of the qualifications obtained.

Article IX.2

1 — Acknowledging the need for relevant, accurate and up-to-date information, each Party shall establish or maintain a national information centre and shall notify one of the depositories of its establishment, or of any changes affecting it.

2 — In each Party, the national information centre shall:

a) Facilitate access to authoritative and accurate information on the higher education system and the country in which it is located;

b) Facilitate access to qualifications of information oh the higher qualifications of the other Parties;

c) Give advice or information matters and assessment of education systems and on recognition qualifications, in accordance with national laws and regulations.

3 — Every national information centre shall have at its disposal the necessary means to enable it to fulfil its functions.

Article 1X.3

The Parties shall promote, through the national information centres or otherwise, the use of the UNESCO/ Council of Europe D/p/oma Supplement or any other comparable document by the higher education institutions of the Parties.