The general framework for quality assurance at all levels of the education system in the Republic of Moldova is established by the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova. According to it, quality assessment in education consists of a multi-criteria examination of the extent to which an educational institution and its programmes meet national reference standards. The system includes a complex set of self-assessment, internal assessment and external assessment activities, carried out in accordance with accreditation standards, criteria and indicators approved at the national level. External assessment is carried out at the national level by the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research, and policies and regulations in this field are developed by the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova.

General education

In general education, the assessment procedure, both internal and external, applies to all institutions, without exception, regardless of the mode of organisation and type of ownership, simultaneously with their branches. Institutions conduct internal assessment annually.

Internal evaluation is a self-evaluation procedure that a specially appointed committee carries out in the institution at the end of the school year, following the systems regarding the evolution and educational process.

The forms of external evaluation are the following:

a) external evaluation for provisional operating authorisation;

b) external evaluation for accreditation;

c) periodic external evaluation.

(source: Methodology for the evaluation of general education institutions).

Higher education

Quality assurance in higher education refers to a set of actions aimed at developing the institutional capacity to design, plan and implement study programmes. These processes contribute to building and strengthening the confidence of beneficiaries that the higher education institution providing the programmes meets and continuously improves quality standards in accordance with its stated mission.

Quality management in higher education is ensured:

a) at the national level - by the Ministry of Education and Research and the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC);

b) at the institutional level - by the internal quality assurance structure.

A fully functional quality assurance system involves completing two successive stages:

a) provisional operating authorisation, taking care of the institution's founding act and granting the right to carry out the educational process and organise admission to studies;

b) accreditation, which grants, in addition to the rights in letter a), the right to organise the completion of studies, as well as the right to issue diplomas, as well as other documents of study recognised by the Ministry of Education and Research (Education Code).

Adult education

In the field of adult education and continuing training, quality assurance is integrated into the general national framework for evaluation and accreditation. Providers of continuing education and lifelong learning programmes are subject to external evaluation, as well as authorisation and accreditation procedures.

Internal quality assurance mechanisms are mandatory at the level of each provider organisation, and the evaluation of programmes and providers is carried out according to nationally approved methodologies and applied by ANACEC. The system aims to guarantee the relevance of programmes for the labour market and compliance with national reference standards (source: Regulation on Adult Education).