Quality assurance in Georgia’s education system is understood as a comprehensive framework of policies, procedures and practices aimed at ensuring, maintaining and enhancing the quality of education through systematic evaluation processes. Evaluation involves collecting and analysing relevant data to inform judgments and support continuous improvement across the system.

Quality assurance mechanisms are established across all main sectors of education, including general, vocational and higher education. These mechanisms target different components of the education system, including educational institutions, programmes, teaching staff, and overall system performance. A distinction is made between the evaluation of educational institutions, which focuses on institutional performance without assigning individual responsibility, and the appraisal of individual staff, which aims to support professional development through targeted feedback.

In Georgia, quality assurance combines both external and internal evaluation approaches. External evaluation is carried out by authorised bodies, primarily the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE). In contrast, internal evaluation is conducted within institutions and is generally compulsory, serving as a key tool for self-assessment and ongoing improvement.

The legal framework underpinning quality assurance is defined by the Law on General Education and the Law on Higher Education, which require educational institutions to comply with national standards and undergo periodic evaluation. In general education, schools are required to meet national curriculum, governance and assessment standards. In contrast, vocational and higher education institutions must operate in accordance with both internal and external quality assurance mechanisms.

Since 2005, a comprehensive quality assurance system has been in place in higher education, based on both internal and external mechanisms. The NCEQE, as the national quality assurance agency, is responsible for implementing external evaluation processes, including institutional authorisation and programme accreditation, and for promoting continuous quality development. Internal quality assurance systems operate at both institutional and programme levels, ensuring the continuous evaluation and improvement of teaching, learning, and research processes; staff professional development; student services; and institutional resources.

External quality assurance processes in higher education are aligned with European developments, taking into account the European Union’s modernisation agenda and the Bologna Process. In particular, they comply with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015).