An Outcome based approach to developing a Belarusian Qualification Framework

The Higher Education landscape of Belarus is characterised by high quality institutions offering world class expertise and facilities, and a very high participation rate in higher education. However, it has also been recognised by the state that the degree of individuality and autonomy prevalent in these institutions works against the current mood of globalisation in Higher Education. An obvious example is international exchanges. It is particularly difficult in the case of students since the programmes are usually organised in an insular way and lack a precise specification of the level at which any contributory course is delivered. A stated objective of the Belarusian Ministry of Education is to seek membership of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). To this end a road map (Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, 2017), designed to afford increased international compatibility of the Belarusian Higher Education Framework, has been defined and is being implemented by the Belarusian Ministry of Education. This paper considers how the EU funded project IESED could directly contribute to the realisation of this Road Map.