Bologna Process at a Half-Way Point
Ever since the adoption of the Sorbonne Declaration of June 1998, a discussion has been emerging about the set up of the European Higher Education Area.
To achieve the goal of a European Higher Education Area, the Bologna declarations states that the following means should be used:
The Bologna Process has reached its half-way point. This provides a good framework for taking stock of how and how far the implementation of the various action lines has reached the national and the institutional level. Since the Bologna Process does only provide the framework for reforms, sometimes more and sometimes less detailed, there is no homogenous situation throughout Europe regarding the implementation. But also other factors lead to differences in the implementation. Firstly, the starting point of countries was different. Some countries had already a two-tier structure or a credit system in place while others did not have any of this. Countries also started at different times. Especially the countries that only joined the Bologna Process in 2003 are not really advanced in the implementation. This is however not surprising. Especially problematic is the fact that the Bologna Process is understood as a package for reforms that will only be fully achieved if implemented as a package. Bologna remains “Bologna a la carte” in many countries. On the other hand, Bologna should not be understood as a pick and choose supermarket. What looks very good on paper may present numerous challenges in the practical implementation. Students are quick to realize that not all that glitters is gold. In a generalizing way, one could conclude that some countries take the Bologna reforms more serious than others. The introduction of the two-cycle study system has been one of the core action lines of the Bologna Process since the Bologna declaration in 1999. At the moment around two thirds of the Bologna countries established or started establishing the study system based on three cycles. On the other hand countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Macedonia did neither adopt the new study system based on the Bologna process by law nor changed the current study system. Student representatives do not participate in any body related to the curriculum design and the degree structure reform and have no influence in most of the Balkan countries. Tuition fees are in general one of the main obstacles regarding access to higher education and they have a dangerous impact on society by creating and widening social barriers. Only one third of the countries (Germany, Switzerland, Nordic countries apart form Iceland etc.), which fully or partially implemented the two cycle system, do not charge any tuition fees for the first and second cycle and usually do not charge any tuition fee for the third cycle either. On the other hand in two thirds of all countries students (whether all or only some of them) pay some kind of tuition fees. In some countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Austria etc.) the amount of the tuition fee for second cycle studies is not different from the amount students pay for the first cycle. UK (without Scotland), and the Netherlands (even more for non-EU students) are typical cases of countries with extremely high tuition fees for all cycles and in terms of financial and social obstacles to access to any cycle of higher education they can serve as a bad example. This development would for sure limit mobility of students in the EHEA between EU and non-EU Bologna countries what again raises the question of the correlation between the student mobility goals and educational policies in Europe. Albania A good job, an adequate education and good salary are the main concerns of the youth today. The constant search for a better life makes the youth enroll the universities, so that they could acquire the knowledge necessary to enter the labour market fully prepared. This high demand for education has lead to an overflow of the universities, bringing into question the quality of the education they offer. The labour market in the developing countries has plenty to offer, but it is strange that a lot of jobs that don’t require a higher education are being done by graduated persons, eclipsing the need for workers with lower levels of education. Not all employees need a university degree for the jobs they are going to do after graduation. Often the diploma ends into a bottom drawer and rarely sees the light of the day. The labour market is unable to accept all university graduates, but only the best of them, or “the friends of the friends” which is a too common occurrence these days. The market’s need for specialized staff, the decreasing quality of education available at the universities, have pushed Albania to sign the Bologna Declaration. Following the standards of the Declaration makes it possible not only to unify the Albanian degrees with the degrees of the other European Universities, but also to increase the level of education so that specialized workers are ready for the labour market in a shorter time. The demand for the universities in Albania this year was really high, 29 000 candidates, all of them this year’s high school graduates. We should add to this number the candidates who graduated from high school in the previous years. This crowd of candidates competed to enroll the universities of Tirana, Elbasan, Shkodra, Vlora, Gjirokasra, and also in the newly established universities of Durresi, Fier and Berat. At the moment, according to a decision of the council of the ministers, there is a total of 18,052 free places in the universities for the full-time studies. This decision was adopted upon the proposals of the Rectors of the Albanian universities, based upon the accommodation capacities of the universities. This was aimed to comply to the standards of the Bologna Declaration, which recommends, among other things, the number of students per given area of available space, prescribes the number of lecturers and teachers and the recommends to take into account the demands of the labour market. Bosnia and Herzegovina The students in Bosnia and Herzegovina eagerly await the start of the new academic year which will offer, for the first time, the opportunity to study in compliance with the rules listed in the Bologna Declaration, signed by B&H at the Ministerial Conference held in Berlin, September 19, 2003. In that way, according to the majority of B&H students, a new education system will appear that will enable them to study in accordance with the European standards. Immediately after the Berlin Conference, under the coordination by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of B&H, the work on the draft-Law on Higher Education started. The drafting procedure was completed on December 18, 2003 and was submitted for Parliamentary prodedure. The main principles of the Law on Higher Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina are listed in the international documents ratified or acceded to by B&H – the European Convention on Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; the Convention of the Council of Europe/UNESCO on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications in Europe; the Bologna Grand Charter on Universities (Magna Carta Universitatum) of 1988; the Joint Declaration on Harmonization of Creation of European Higher Education System (Paris, Sorbone, 1998); the Joint Declaration of European Education Ministers (the Bologna Declaration of 1999); the Convention on the Institutions of Higher Education (Salamanca, 2001). We could freely say that the Law on Higher Education, prepared with the assistance from the Council of Europe, OSCE, the European Commission and other international organizations, has integrated all the basic principles established, or being in the process of establishment, in the European higher education. Starting with the universal pinciples of non-discrimination and the right to education, the Law regulates the principles of autonomy of the university, the integrated university, the mobility of students and members of faculty, creation of national information centre, etc. Croatia The Republic of Croatia joined the Bologna Declaration in Prague, in May 2001. The Bologna Declaration emphasizes that the area of higher education is such a social field that could contribute to the creation of „improved and more influential Europe“, especially in terms of creation and strengthening of joint democratic, cultural, social, scientific and technological dimensions. Some of the goals of the Declaration are: the acceptance of a system of recognizable and comparable academic and educational levels, and introduction of annexes to the diplomas, in order to facilitate and expediate the employment and the international competition (EHEA); introduction of a unified systeme of two cycles of studies: under-graduate and graduate. The first three-year study is a requirement for students to qualified for the European labour market, while the second leads to masters and doctoral degrees; Introduction of unified credit system (ECTS) – credits can be accumulated outside the system of higher education, through the so-called lifelong learning programmes (LLL); Promotion of mobility and overcoming of obstacles to the free flow of students and teachers; promotion of Europen cooperation dedicated to securing of constant quality; Promotion of the necessary European dimension in the area of higher education. Dragan Primorac, Croatian Minister of Education, Science and Sports, adopted a decision for appointment of National Group for Monitoring of Bologna Process in Croatian Universities. The National Group will organize, coordinate and supervisethe implementation of the Bologna Process. The first meeting of the National Group was held on April 7, 2004, at the offices of the Minsitry of Science, Education and Sports.
Another important question is, how does the Ministry of Education intend to finance the tuitions of additional 20% enrolled students on bases of various privileges, but also how will it finance the changes brought about by the Bologna Process, i.e. will that practice leade to the elimination of free education and introduction of tuition obligation for all students? „The World Bank supported the plan for development of the system of education with 85 million US Dollars. That plan includes the experiences of my predecessors at this Ministry, and it covers the whole vertical, starting with pre-school and ending with higher education system. The plan got rave reviews and Macedonia, for instance, is already interested in the contents of the plan. The system will also include the adult education, which was completely ignorred here, in spite of the fact that no society can't easily give up on such a capital“, says Primorac. Croatian Universities have already started the process of adaptation to the Bologna Process, and a number of schools and faculties already introduced changes in their curricula. TEMPUS (Trans - European Mobility Scheme for University Studies) is a programme intended for development of higher education systems in the countries of the SEE (Albanian, B&H, Croatia, Macedonia, SCG) through improved regional university cooperation and cooperation with EU member states. TEMPUS aims to contribute to the development of higher education systems; reform of university management practices; increased interaction with local and regional economy; development of curricula; increased mobility of students and teaching staff; development of administrative and institutional structures through continued education of employees in non-academic institutions; and increased regional cooperation of SEE universities. Kosovo Just as two years earlier in Berlin, the 4th Ministerial Conference of the Bologna Process held in Bergen, Norway on May 19, 2005, rejected Kosovo’s candidacy for membership in the Bologna Process. For the second time in a row, the inclusion of Kosovo universities in the Bologna Process is being held hostage by politics. The rejection was made official by Norwegian Minister of Education and Research, Kristin Clemet. The reason for non-acceptance was found in the undefined political status of Kosovo. Kosovo, however, will be given the possibility for membership in the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Bologna Process, scheduled to take place in London, in 2007. Nonetheless, even in 2007, Kosovo’s membership of Kosovo will depend on its political status. On the ground, the reforms prepared for Kosovo by the International Administration were inspired directly by the Bologna Declaration, whilst on April 26, 2005 the first generation of students graduated according to the Bologna Declaration. Unfortunately, the diplomas of young Kosovars are continuously losing value in the international and regional market, including the Kosovo labour market itself. There are many reasons behind this situation, but the top one remains that the University is being used as an environment for leading an indirect war through appointed individuals from two main political parties, and in this war it is the students who are losing. Kosovo Universities suffer from over-politicizing, lack of transparency in financial operations and low quality standards – features which are not favorable for a healthy multiethnic and academic environment. Ironically, the high education in Kosovo depends on the politics, bringing about the risk of isolation and renewed stagnation. While Europe is moving forward, the world has other priorities, and the halls of Prishtina University aren’t going anywhere. Macedonia The reforms of the Macedonian higher education system, in compliance with the Bologna Declaration, started even before the official signing of the treaty, on September 19, 2003. Following the Bologna principles of recognition of degrees and studies, promotion of Diploma Supplement, introduction of system of credits, development of policy and system on quality assurance and quality assessment in higher education, developing university strategies for continuing education, both Macedonian universities, "St. Cyril and Methodius University" in Skopje and "University of St. Clement of Ohrid" in Bitola, including the SEE University in Tetovo, are actively participating in the regional projects on curriculum development and harmonization, students and staff mobility, multilateral and bilateral cooperation in selected fields of interest within CARDS-TEMPUS program and other regional projects. The recently adopted National strategy for education 2005-2015 (Macedonian version only) is prepared in accordance to the principles of European integrated education programs. As elsewhere in the Europe, the Bologna Process in Macedonia is accepted as continuous process. The already undertaken steps and reforms are described in the “Review of the country achievements”, following the Bologna process, prepared by the Macedonian Ministry of Education and Science. Following this indicators, the Bologna process in Macedonia is progressing smoothly. On the other hand, what is happening from the students' point of view? According to the analysis, done by the ESIB, network of National Unions of Students in Europe, Macedonian students or student unions are not full members of the decision making bodies in higher education. This is the case in all Balkan countries. For genuine student involvement in decision-making processes, it is a prerequisite that student representatives can work independently from the state, political parties, rectors, deans and other policy makers. Regardless the level of actual student involvement, generally student unions and representatives manage to work independently. Nevertheless, this does not always come without complications. It has to be stressed that co-operation in Europe, based on core academic values as the main driving factors of the creation of the European Higher Education Area and its relation to other regions of the world is a double-edged sword. It can lead to an increase in the quality and transparency, but, on the other hand, it can further the privatization agenda and brain drain, which are trends in SEE Region. The strong focus on economic goals in the Bologna process has been counterbalanced by the inclusion of the social dimension and the reaffirming of higher education as a public good in the Prague communiqué. However, more work will need to be done to ensure that these objectives do not remain empty formulas but are met to ensure social inclusion and equity in the European Higher Education Area. Montenegro The implementation of the principles listed in the Bologna Declaration has changed the structure of higher education process in Montenegro, through the establishment of three levels of education – base, masters and doctoral studies. The Masters studies, together with base (under-graduate) studies, will last for five years and will be an integral part of the regular studies in the majority of adacemic programmes, whereby the fourth year of education, i.e. the first year of graduate studies will be organized as specialist graduate study year. The new system, on the other hand, established a new, three-year doctoral studies system. The first year is dedicated to actual studies, while the second and the third will be dedicated to research and preparation of doctoral thesis. The past extreme inefficiency of studies was one of the weak points of the education system in Montenegro. The average lenght of studies greatly exceeded the prescribed periods, ranging between six and eight years, and for some schools, the average student needed nine years to complete the degree. The new methods of grading, the work over the year and the final exam exclude the need for a greater number of examination sessions. If the student fails an exam on the first try, he/she will have a chance to repeat the exam once, and if that opportunity is not used, than he/she will have to listen to the subject for another semester. Another novelty is the evaluation of the work of the professors and faculty members, conducted through student polls. In addition, grades will be given for how interesting the lectures are, and the results of the polls will be entered into the personal dossier of each professor. Constant polls will enable the monitoring of the work on each individual subject of the curriculum and corrective action in cases of violations of educational principles. Also, the grades given in the exam will have to be confirmed by the Education and Science Council of a given school. The introduction of credit system provides that the students, just like all the other employees, will have a 40 hour working week, and the total lectures, tutorials and individual work should fall within that limit. The Ministry of Education is convinced that all of this will help improve the efficiency of studies and assist the University of Montenegro to join the family of European universities and enable the exchange of students and teaching staff during the studies of scientific research. The first positive results of the reforms a visible in the number of new students that enrolled in the University in 2004, which registered a rise of 50 percent. According to the data available from the University, all units have registered improvements compared to previous year, and in some faculties have had extremely positive results. The passing rate at University level is close to 60 percent, and similar trends were registered even with programmes that traditionally have low passing rates. Serbia The latest proposed draft of the Law on Higher Education in Serbia introduces a number of novelties to the field of education, designed to harmonize the national education system with the Bologna Declaration and the education implemented in majority of European countries. This proposal should ultimately lead the Serbian higher education into the European education system. All solutions proposed by the Law adopt the principles of the Bologna Declaration and the standards accepted in Europe. Above all, it includes the two levels of education, the introduction of a completely new system – quite different from the existing one, introduction of single-semestre subjects in the curricula, credit transfer, etc., all of the providing for greater mobility of both students and professors, and absolutely increases the quality of higher education in the country. This draft-Law presents an important step forward in education, having in mind that the changes were more than necessary, regardless of whether the country ratified the Bologna Declaration or not. Serbia, with the accession to the Bologna Declaration, accepted the obligation to reform its higher education system in accordance with the other European countries, so that the European Higher Education Zone could be established in 2010, as planned. |
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