On May 30, 2023, at the opening of the 17th INQAAHE International Conference in Astana, Professor Sh.M. Kalanova, the President of the IQAA, proposed the establishment of the INQAAHE Award for exceptional individuals who contributed to the development of Quality Assurance in Higher Education, and proposed the first award to be given to Dr. David Woodhouse. This proposal was supported by the board of INQAAHE. However, for the implementation of the idea, certain formalities are still needed. Therefore, in recognition of the outstanding contribution to quality assurance at a global level, the Independent Agency for Quality Assurance decided to acknowledge the work of Dr. David Woodhouse, one of the founders of INQAAHE, by presenting him a chapan (national dress), which is given in Kazakhstan as a token of merit. Dr. David Woodhouse assisted in the development of the accreditation system for higher education institutions in Kazakhstan.
Dr. David Woodhouse was twice elected President of INQAAHE from 1997 to 2001, and from 2007 to 2011. Dr. David Woodhouse has held senior positions in quality assurance agencies in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and United Arab Emirates. He was the founding Executive Director of both NZUAAU (now AQA, New Zealand) and AUQA (Australia). He also led the establishment of a national center for higher education data and statistics as Commissioner for Development of the Commission for Academic Accreditation in the UAE. David Woodhouse was also one of the founders of the international network of accreditation agencies APQN.
Dr. David Woodhouse, INQAAHE Founder and ex-President
Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Innovation of the Kyrgyz Republic
