Prezentacja c.d(22.11.2006)

Gość · Wysłany: Śro 19:54, 22 Lis 2006 Temat postu: Prezentacja c.d(22.11.2006)

What is the Bologna Process?
The Bologna Process is a European reform process aiming at establishing a European Higher Education Area by 2010. It is an unusual process in that it is loosely structured and driven by the 45 countries participating in it in cooperation with a number of international organisations, including the Council of Europe.
This probably did not really answer the question. It comes down to the following:
By 2010 higher education systems in European countries should be organised in such a way that:
• • it is easy to move from one country to the other (within the European Higher Education Area) – for the purpose of further study or employment;
• • the attractiveness of European higher education is increased so many people from non-European countries also come to study and/or work in Europe;
• • the European Higher Education Area provides Europe with a broad, high quality and advanced knowledge base, and ensures the further development of Europe as a stable, peaceful and tolerant community.
This goal is rather ambitious and it is not connected only to the Bologna Process. However, within the Process, the necessary tools for achieving these goals are being developed and implemented.
Before we move further along, two things should be made clear:
The Bologna Process is not based on an intergovernmental treaty.
There are several documents that have been adopted by the ministers responsible for higher education of the countries participating in the Process, but these are not legally binding documents (as international treaties usually are). Therefore, it is the free will of every country and its higher education community to endorse or reject the principles of the Bologna Process, although the effect of “international peer pressure” should not be underestimated.
It is not foreseen that by 2010 all European countries should have the same higher education system.
On the contrary, one of the very valued features of Europe is its balance between diversity and unity. Rather, the Bologna Process tries to establish bridges that make it easier for individuals to move from one education system or country to another. Therefore, even if e.g. degree systems may become more similar, the specific nature of every higher education system should be preserved. If not, what would be the point to go somewhere else to study if what one studies is going to be the same as back home? The developments within the Bologna Process should serve to facilitate “translation” of one system to the other and therefore contribute to the increase of mobility of students and academics and to the increase of employability throughout Europe.
How is the Process organised?
There are several levels of implementation – international, national and institutional.
When it comes to the international level – there are several modes of cooperation and several structures developing the Bologna Process. There is the so-called Bologna follow-up group (BFUG) that consists of all signatory countries and the European Commission as well as the Council of Europe, EUA, ESIB EURASHE, UNESCO-CEPES, ENQA, Educational International Pan-European Structure and UNICE as consultative members.
In addition to this, numerous seminars are being organised throughout Europe, which carry the unofficial label of “Bologna seminars”. These are discussing various issues of the Bologna Process, obstacles to implementation and possibilities for co-operation. You will find an updated calendar on current events on the web site of the UK Bologna Secretariat. The results of previous Bologna seminars and activities are available on the Bologna-Bergen web site (2003 – 2005) and the Berlin Ministerial Conference web site (2001 – 2003).
Every two years a Ministerial Conference is organised where Ministers responsible for higher education of all participating countries gather to evaluate the progress and to set guidelines and priorities for the upcoming period. The next conference will take place in London in 2007. Previous conferences were held in Bergen (2005), Berlin (2003), Prague (2001) and Bologna (1999) – see next section for more information.
The national level usually involves the government and ministries responsible for higher education, rectors’ conferences or other university associations, student unions but also in some cases quality assurance agencies, employers etc. Many European countries have already changed their legislation in line with the goals of the Bologna Process and others are preparing to do so. Depending on the country and the development of its higher education system so far, some are introducing ECTS, discussing their degree structures and qualifications, financing and management of higher education, mobility programmes etc.
The institutional level involves higher education institutions, their faculties or departments, student and staff representatives and many other actors. The priorities vary from country to country and from institution to institution. However, it is important to stress that without adequate implementation at the institutional level, little can be achieved in reaching the Bologna objectives.
How did it all begin?
The Process officially started in 1999, with the signing of the Bologna Declaration. Twenty-nine countries have signed the declaration on 19 June 1999 in Bologna (hence the name of the whole Process). The Declaration states the following objectives:
• • adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees;
• • adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate;
• • establishment of a system of credits – such as in the ECTS;
• • promotion of mobility by overcoming obstacles to the free movement of students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff;
• • promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance;
• • promotion of the necessary European dimensions in higher education.
These six objectives are the essence of the Bologna process and have since been developed further, see below.
However, prior to the signing of the Bologna Declaration, another document was adopted by four countries: France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom – the Sorbonne Declaration. This declaration provided the necessary push towards the Bologna Declaration and indicated already in 1998 the main goals of the European Higher Education Area.
1999
What has happened since 1999?
After the signing of the Bologna Declaration, a follow-up structure has been organised. The aforementioned Bologna Follow-Up Group was formed. It decided that the Ministerial meetings should take place every two years and the first was held in Prague in 2001. In the meantime, a general rapporteur for the Follow-Up Group was selected. This was Mr. Pedro Lourtie, who later became Deputy Minister of Education in Portugal. His task was to monitor implementation of the objectives of Bologna declaration and report on this to the Ministers of Education in Prague (for the report click here). Furthermore, different countries have organised the so-called “Bologna seminars” which covered various important topics. European University Association (which was formed in March 2001 from two European university networks) developed the so-called Trends II report – report on the implementation of the Bologna declaration at the institutional level and adopted the Message from the Salamanca Convention 2001. ESIB – The National Unions of Students in Europe adopted the Student Gőteborg Declaration as a special student message for the Prague Ministerial Summit.
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Prague 2001
In May 2001, in Prague, new countries joined the Bologna process: Croatia, Cyprus, Liechtenstein and Turkey. The ministers adopted the so-called Prague Communiqué, which sets guidelines for the next two years, until the Ministerial Conference on the Bologna Process in Berlin in 2003.
It is very important to stress that the Prague Summit introduced several new elements in the Process:
• • students were recognised as full and equal partners in the decision making process and ESIB became a consultative member of the Bologna follow-up group (together with the Council of Europe, European University Association and EURASHE),
• • the social dimension of the Bologna Process was stressed,
• • the idea that higher education is a public good and a public responsibility was highlighted.
In between 2001 and 2003, an even greater number of “Bologna seminars” were organised. Mr. Pavel Zgaga (former Minister of Education of Slovenia, one of those who actually signed the Bologna Declaration) was selected as the General Rapporteur (his report to the Berlin Ministerial Conference can be found here); the EUA developed its Trends III report and also started the Quality Culture Project in higher education institutions and launched a joint masters programme; ESIB completed several student surveys on the implementation of the Bologna Declaration; the European Commission supported several European projects (the Tuning project, the TEEP project) connected to quality assurance etc.
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Berlin 2003
At the Berlin Ministerial Conference in September 2003, 7 new countries were accepted into the process (Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Holy See, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”). Thus the total number of countries involved increased to 40. It was also decided that all countries party to the European Cultural Convention are eligible to take part in the Bologna Process provided they apply for accession and submit a satisfactory plan for implementation of the Bologna goals in their higher education system. Apart from taking note of the developments from 2001 to 2003 and setting guidelines for further work, the Berlin Communiqué also concluded:
• • that research is an important part of higher education in Europe and the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area are in fact two pillars of the knowledge based society. Furthermore, it is necessary to go beyond the focus on two main cycles and the third cycle - doctoral studies - should be included in the Bologna process
• • that in time for their 2005 meeting, Ministers will take stock of progress in these key areas:
• o quality assurance;
• o two-cycle system;
• o recognition of degrees and periods of study;
• • the next Ministerial Conference will take place in Bergen in 2005.
The Bologna Follow-Up Group was asked to look into two issues especially:
• • quality assurance – for this the mandate was given to ENQA, EUA, ESIB and EURASHE
• • qualifications framework.
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Bergen 2005
At the Bergen Ministerial Conference in May 2005, 5 new countries were welcomed (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) as new participating countries in the Bologna Process bringing the total number of participating countries up to 45. It was also decided to enlarge the circle of consultative members to the Education International (EI) Pan-European Structure, the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), and the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe (UNICE). The Bergen meeting confirmed the shift from future plans to practical implementation; in particular it was marked by
• o the adoption of an overarching framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area and with a commitment to elaborating national qualifications frameworks by 2010 – as well as to having launched work by 2007;
• o the adoption of guidelines and standards for quality assurance and the request that ENQA, the EUA, EURASHE and ESIB elaborate further proposals concerning the suggested register of quality assurance agencies;
• o the further stress on the importance of the social dimension of higher education, which includes – but is not limited to – academic mobility;
• o the necessity of improving interaction between the European Higher Education Area and other parts of the world (the “external dimension”);
• o the growing importance of addressing the development of the European Higher Education Area beyond 2010.
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Council of Europe
When it comes to the contribution of the Council of Europe to the establishment of the European Higher Education Area by 2010, the focus continues to lie on
• o The Council’s work on the recognition of qualifications, supporting the ENIC Network (together with UNESCO-CEPES) and the Member States in the national implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
• o Active participation in the steering and policy-making mechanisms (Bologna Follow-Up Group) as well as in the official Bologna seminars (as speakers or general rapporteurs).
• o Advice and assistance to the countries have acceded to the Bologna Process recently in bi-lateral or regional cooperation
• o Overarching issues such as the public responsibility for higher education and research, higher education governance, the social dimension of higher education and research and the values and roles of higher education and research in modern, complex societies
Who participates in the Process?
Following the Bergen Ministerial Conference, there are 45 countries that are participating in the Bologna process. These are:
• • from 1999: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom;
• • from 2001: Croatia, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Turkey;
• • from 2003: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Holy See, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”;
• • from 2005: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Apart from the countries (who are all members of the Bologna follow-up group - BFUG), several international organizations are also participating:
• • European Commission
• • Council of Europe – consultative member
• • European University Association – consultative member
• • EURASHE – consultative member
• • ESIB - The National Unions of Students in Europe – consultative member
• • UNESCO-CEPES – consultative member
• • ENQA – consultative member
• • Education International Pan-European Structure – consultative member
• • UNICE – consultative member

3
Contribution of the Council of Europe to the Bologna Process in 2006

In 2006 the Higher Education and Research Division continued its work with the steering bodies of the Bologna Process in the areas of the recognition of qualifications, support and advice to new member countries, and specific dimensions of the Process including governance, public responsibility, democratic citizenship and culture and the social dimension of higher education.
Through the ENIC and NARIC Advisory Networks, the Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee and other related bodies, the Council of Europe contributed to improving the quality of the process associated with the recognition of foreign qualifications. In early 2006, the ENIC Bureau, the NARIC Advisory Board and the Bureau of the Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee elaborated draft guidelines for national action plans and submitted them to the BFUG for consideration. The BFUG adopted the Guidelines at its meeting in Vienna in April 2006.
The 2006 plenary session of the Steering Committee on Higher Education and Research (CDESR) was held in Strasbourg on September 21 – 22, 2006. Among other things, the plenary session adopted a Statement on the contribution of higher education to intercultural dialogue and held an extensive debate on unresolved issues in the Bologna Process.

Fora and conferences in 2006:
On 22 – 23 June 2006 a Forum on Democratic Culture in Higher Education was organized at Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg in cooperation with American partners as well as the EUA. The Forum adopted a Declaration which, among other things, calls on higher education institutions and actors to organize activities to promote democratic culture, co-ordinating them through the web site established as a follow up to the Forum: [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
On 19 - 20 September, the third Council of Europe Forum on Higher Education took place in Strasbourg and focused on “Legitimacy of Quality Assurance in Higher Education: The Role of Public Authorities and Institutions”. The EUA and ENQA contributed to the preparation of this Forum.
As part of the Russian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe, on 2 – 3 November, the Council of Europe and the Russian University of People’s Friendship will organize a conference on the role of students in making the European Higher Education Area a reality.
In late 2006 the Council of Europe will organize in Strasbourg two informal Ministerial conferences focusing on the Bologna Process: one on 27 – 28 November for the countries of South East Europe and one on 12 – 13 December for the five countries that acceded to the Bologna Process in 2005. They will outline key issues in the Bologna Process and aim to assist participating countries in their preparation for the Ministerial conference in London in May 2007.

Other activities in 2006 have included:
• an advisory mission on the reform of higher education legislation in “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (Ohrid, 13 – 14 January)
• an advisory mission on the reform of specific aspects of higher education legislation in Albania (Tirana, 16 – 17 January)
the launching conference for work on a new Master Plan for higher education in Albania (Tirana, 22 – 23 March)
• co organization, with the Austrian Presidency of the Bologna Process, a meeting of the countries that acceded to the Bologna Process in 2005 as well as Albania on the activities of the Process in the period 2005 – 2007 and the functioning of the BFUG and the working groups;
• a national conference on qualifications frameworks (Tirana, 19 – 20 July).

Publications in the Council of Europe Higher Education Series:
Recognition in the Bologna Process: Policy Development and the Road to Good Practice (Andrejs Rauhvargars and Sjur Bergan, eds) which presents the proceedings, outcomes and recommendations from the conference on improving the recognition of degrees and study credit points in the EHEA (Riga, December 2004)
Higher Education Governance between democratic culture, academic aspirations and market forces (Jürgen Kohler and Josef Huber, eds.), which presents the results of the Council of Europe Higher Education Forum on Governance and Higher Education, September 2005.
[Full report]