Since April 27, in URACCAN campus New Guinea, university authorities together with a multidisciplinary team, coordinated by Dr. Alta Hooker, rector of that institution, participate in working sessions aimed at verifying the Obligations of Law established by the National Council for Evaluation and Accreditation (CNEA), governing body of the quality of higher education in the country.

Since its commitment to educational relevance and in compliance with the provisions of Law 704: "Law creator of the system of quality assurance of education", work is worked on 9 points contemplated by the verification matrix, which are:

• Minimum Obligation 1: Possess a strategic development plan and the necessary evaluation, planning and monitoring mechanisms.
• Minimum obligation #2: Offer at least four professional careers.
• Minimum Obligation : 3: Have suitable curriculums and subject programs, updated at least once in the term of the races.
• Minimum Obligation 4: Teachers must possess at least the academic degree offered and the specific knowledge of the subject matter they teach.
• Minimum Obligation 5: Perform or maintain at least one relevant research project per year, in the areas offered.
• Minimum Obligation 6: Have adequate physical infrastructure, library, laboratories, fields of experimentation, appropriate practice centres, and other support resources necessary to support teaching, research and administrative activities, which ensure the fulfillment of their purposes.
• Minimum Obligation 7: Have the necessary regulations to regulate academic processes.
• Minimum Obligation 8: Own at least ten percent of full-time teachers in your academic plant, and must be distributed in all areas they offer.
• Minimum Obligation 9: Have the necessary academic and administrative staff for the tasks of management, services and support for academic activities.

Strategic planning process: the road to accreditation

Rector Hooker reported that "the National Evaluation and Accreditation Council is scheduled, for this year, to make the visit with external peers to some universities in Nicaragua and within the first ones is URACCAN".

In addition, he stated that "the first quarter evaluation of strategic planning is under review; that ensures that annual planning is good, but all in light of knowing that we are in a context of a health pandemic; this helps us to share ideas, fears and concerns."

In this context, teacher Marbel Baltodano, Director of Evaluation and Institutional Accreditation, stresses that in view of the CNEA visit "we review how we are with the Obligations of Law since establishing the law for universities; this is an exercise that began years ago with the development of self-assessment and the implementation of an improvement plan."

For his part, The teacher Adrián Puerta, Director of Analysis and Institutional Planning, assured that through the meeting involving rectory, vice-rectories, management of technical areas, institutes and centers of the university, "institutional processes are reviewed in two moments; the level of AOP compliance, its impacts and results first."

Secondly, Puerta stresses, "an analysis is being made, a conversation about the strategic thinking that will mean the construction of our new Institutional Life Plan 2021-2030. We are defining the matrix that governs this plan, we will talk about the institutional philosophy since its ratification and the strategic objectives of it."

Aware of the current context, URACCAN proposes solutions

"Like URACCAN, we must not be part of the health problem, we have to be part of the solution, we have to worry, but also occupy," says Dr Hooker, in relation to the crisis that occurs as a result of COVID-19.

"We are making alcohol, pedal sinks, placing the proper measures raised in the protocol; the university must be immersed in all the solutions that our Autonomous Regions need for the strengthening of the territory and for the strengthening of the whole country," concluded the rector of URACCAN.