The EAQUALS Mission Statement
Frank Heyworth
The Association's purpose is to bring together and co-ordinate schools and educational institutions that undertake to guarantee the highest teaching and educational standards for students of foreign languages and culture in Europe. In furtherance of these aims, the Association shall maintain the highest standards of professional conduct and integrity.
The principles of EAQUALS were and remain the following:
- The Association aims to improve the quality of language teaching and training in Europe for the benefit of the many thousands of language students who learn languages in institutions.
- EAQUALS endorses and subscribes to the aims for European education
policies in the modern language field recommended by the council of
Europe's Project Group of 'Language Learning for European Citizenship
(1989-96):
'- to facilitate the free movement of people and ideas across Europe;
- to increase mutual knowledge and understanding among all European people;
- to raise the level of European co-operation in quantity and quality;
- to combat or preferably preclude prejudice and intolerance towards peoples of different
_language and culture;
- to strengthen democratic structures and practices.'
[Council of Europe 1997: Final Project Report p. 59 ]
- EAQUALS is an open Association: any school or institution which is
providing language training services may apply for full membership,
whether it is in the private or public sector, and whatever languages
are being taught. The only requirements are that the institution can
prove that it meets the criteria contained in the EAQUALS Code of Practice
in a full inspection, and that it pays membership and inspection fees
as specified.
- EAQUALS believes in honesty and fair-dealings for students and staff
at its member institutions. There is an ombudsman who is available as
a last resort to adjudicate on issues relating to the Code of Practice
which cannot be resolved directly between the student or staff member
and the school.
EAQUALS believes in transparency. All the documents relating to its inspection scheme are made public in the EAQUALS Guide to Inspections and elsewhere, and other associations may draw on these for their own purposes provided that permission is sought from EAQUALS via the Secretariat and full acknowledgement is made.
Other charters:
