Contributor ENFP for Ecuador: Joselyn Goyes Novoa
Secretary of Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (SENESCYT)
This national policy review provides a detailed analysis of Ecuador’s educational policies and their alignment with the Erasmus+ programme. It offers official, first-hand information into the country’s engagement with Erasmus+ from 2021 to 2024, highlighting opportunities for improvement and identifying strategies to enhance integration and outcomes. Prepared and submitted by the Erasmus+ National Focal Point, this review contributes to ongoing efforts to strengthen international cooperation and to maximise the benefits of the Erasmus+ programme in Ecuador.
Reviews of policies, initiatives, projects, and/or stakeholders
Validatec Initiative:
This initiative involves the recognition of non-professional practice or work experience of a citizen by a Public Higher Institute affiliated with SENESCYT. This validation is equivalent to the completion of an entire higher technical-technological degree program, with the objective of granting the applicant the corresponding academic title. This is subject to the condition that, following the assessment, the Higher Institute determines that the applicant’s professional or work trajectory meets the graduation profile, requirements, and other specific conditions established for the degree program.
Since 2022, this initiative has been implemented in several provinces across the country to recognize the professional trajectory of sports coaches and firefighting personnel who have undergone the validation process required by the respective higher education institutes.
Applicants must meet certain requirements, such as holding a high school diploma obtained at least five years prior to applying, submitting a curriculum of their professional trajectory detailing their experience and training in chronological order, and presenting a file containing supporting documents that validate the information provided in the curriculum.
The validation process consists of four phases:
- Application submission
- Requirements verification
- Evaluation and analysis
- Resolution by the Higher Technological Institute
Degree programs related to public interest that involve human life are excluded from this validation mechanism.
Legislative reforms and/or policies that have been put in place in the past three years or that are still being discussed
Reforms Regarding Access to Higher Education:
Using the regulatory reforms enacted on 7 July 2023, the Regulation for the National System of Levelling and Admission for Entry to Public Universities and Polytechnic Schools was promulgated through Agreement No. SENESCYT-SENESCYT-2023-0003-AC. The principal points of the reform are set forth below:
- Transfer the responsibility for access to public universities and polytechnic schools to the respective institutions themselves, empowering them to independently design, plan, and execute their admission procedures and timetables within the framework of their autonomy.
- Abolition of a centralised examination under the jurisdiction of a single governmental authority.
- SENESCYT will be entrusted with the task of implementing the admission process for technical and technological institutes, as well as public conservatories.
- A unified quota acceptance platform was implemented. This platform ensures that applicants can only accept a single quota during the access process.
- Quota Policy: Public universities and polytechnic schools must ensure that between 5% and 10% of the available academic programme slots are exclusively directed towards groups that have historically experienced exclusion or discrimination, as defined by the Constitution.
- Monitoring and Oversight: SENESCYT will undertake the monitoring and oversight of the various stages of the admission process for each public institution of higher education to verify compliance with the regulations and ensure adherence to the principles of merit, equal opportunities, and the freedom of choice of field of study.
Reforms Regarding Technical and Technological Education:
Actions have been taken to reform the higher education system to address the need to organise and institutionalise technical and technological education. These measures aim to create an appropriate academic framework and offer programmes that meet the needs of public service sectors.
Key actions include developing a Plan for the Conversion and Revaluation of Technical and Technological Education, reforming the Higher Education Law (LOES) to strengthen technical-technological higher education, and establishing evaluation and accreditation processes specific to this field.
The reforms also recognise technical-technological education as part of the third level of higher education and allow for the introduction of fourth-level technical-technological programmes. For example, Article 118 of the LOES reform reorganises higher education levels, enabling institutions to offer fourth-level technical- technological programmes.
Projects which are examples of good practice that have been launched in the past three years
International cooperation has become a high-impact activity for higher education organisations and management due to the important contributions made by international organisms, governmental agencies from cooperation partners, non-governmental organisations, enterprises, and other civil society actors. They complement the national educational offer by granting scholarships and financial aids for undergraduate, graduate and training programmes in collaboration with prestigious international academic institutions.
The Globo Común Programme, from Senescyt
Aims to improve the national reach of the opportunities brought by international cooperation. The main purpose of this programme is to collect, manage, and promote every scholarship and financial aid offered to Ecuadorian citizens to present all the options available for them. The aim is to improve their professional training, guaranteeing high international academic standards. In turn, the Secretariat helps international institutions position and increase the demand for their academic programmes in Ecuador.
In this scholarship program, funding comes from the international institutions, and there is no outlay from the Ecuadorian government; therefore, the conditions of the scholarship are set by the sponsor institution, and they decide who are the grantees. Thanks to this international cooperation in scholarships, so far, more than 15,000 Ecuadorians have received scholarships for graduate, postgraduate and training programs.
Key players and networks (stakeholders) at the national level (or at the regional level with a national component)
Higher Education Council (CES) and Council for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (CACES)
The CES and CACES are integral components of the higher education system. As a result, SENESCYT maintains continuous coordination with these entities and designates them as collaborative partners.
Ministry of Education
SENESCYT maintains various levels of coordination with the Ministry of Education. Some of the primary initiatives involve the organisation of evaluation processes for third-level high school students seeking access to higher education and the development of academically relevant programmes for Public Higher Education Institutes tailored to the needs of the incoming high school graduates, among other activities.
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