Joint Quality Review Committee Limited (JQRC)

is an independent corporate quality assurance body established in August 2005 by the Heads of Universities Committee (HUCOM) of Hong Kong constituted by the eight institutions under the aegis of the University Grants Committee (UGC).  Its major function is to provide for the peer review of the quality assurance processes of the self-financed sub-degree programmes of these institutions. The eight member institutions are City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and The University of Hong Kong.

The formation of JQRC is a quality assurance initiative by the HUCOM member institutions, which are self-accrediting, to provide for enhanced quality and greater public accountability in respect of their self-financed sub-degree programmes, which are offered through continuing education units and community colleges, or other departments of the institutions. The eight institutions under HUCOM are the major publicly funded degree-granting institutions in Hong Kong and they are also the major providers of sub-degree programmes in Hong Kong at present.

JQRC upholds the principle of quality in education, and the principle of institutional and academic autonomy. It advocates the achievement of public accountability through self-regulation.

The formation of JQRC was undertaken by an Interim Board of Management which started work in 2004.  JQRC was formally incorporated in August 2005.  The first Board of Directors was formed soon after JQRC was incorporated, comprising one representative from each of the eight institutions. At its first meeting on 8 November 2005, the Board elected Professor Philip KW Yeung of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as its first Chairman, and Dr. K. S. So of The Hong Kong Institute of Education as the Deputy Chairman. On 1 June 2006, Professor T.S. Chan, representing Lingnan University on the JQRC Board since August 2005, succeeded Professor Philip K.W. Yeung as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of JQRC.

JQRC adopts a two-stage review framework, consisting of a Preview and an Institutional Review.  The Preview is a major stock-taking of the quality assurance processes at the Self-financed Sub-degree Programme Units (SSPUs) of the member institutions. It also serves as a preparation for the full Institutional Review, and has the additional purpose of endorsing the self-financed sub-degree programmes for placement on the Qualifications Framework (QF).  The Preview was completed in January 2007; details of which could be found in the Press Releases and Speeches Section.

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