For the past six months, an ongoing debate about the future of the Bologna Process is mobilising more and more actors as a preparation for the ministers’ conference in Leuven. This debate is being developed in many contexts but had its first visible moment in the official Bologna seminar held in Ghent in 18th-20th of May. The event was co-organised by Luxembourg and the Flemish community of Belgium and included a selection of papers written by researchers as a background. However, the seminar was unable to develop a vision for the future of the Bologna Process and rather served as the stage for the promotion of a few ideas and agendas to be inserted in the Process itself. The main issues raised were the need for developing the “transparency tools”, such as rankings and typologies of institutions, and to address the funding challenges, namely through the introduction of tuition fees. The students present there and other participants raised their voices against the tentative conclusions that reflect only some of the presentations and not the debate itself. You can find all presentations and more info at http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/BolognaSeminars/Ghent2008.htm.
The debate continued however in the Bologna Follow-Up Group meeting held in the city of Sarajevo in 24th-25th of June. A lively discussion between consultative members and staff from the national education ministries resulted in a first selection of the priorities for the upcoming 10 years of the Bologna Process. Besides finishing the current agenda and implementing all the structures (namely in the area of qualifications frameworks, recognition, ECTS and learning outcomes and quality assurance), the BFUG pointed out the need to move into a student-centred approach to learning, the development of lifelong learning systems (alongside with a special focus on the employability of graduates and older generations) and the increase of student and staff mobility throughout Europe. The social dimension was again highlighted as a priority. But also the reform of the funding and governance systems of higher education in Europe and a greater attention to its competitiveness in a global setting were stressed as new and urgent undertakings.
ESU was very actively involved in this meeting and was able to promote student priorities such as social dimension, mobility and student-centred learning. However, it also became evident that the proposals coming from the majority of the countries don’t reflect any of the concerns of the stakeholders at national level. The debate has been done mostly at closed doors inside the ministries up until now.
The national unions have a central role in this regard, by taking the initiative and creating moments, campaigns and debates with other stakeholders, by influencing their national ministries’ agenda and coordinating their action with ESU. The need for action and an open debate at the national level is even more pressing, since by mid-October there will be a BFUG meeting in Paris that will define the new framework for the Bologna Process. There isn’t much time left and we urge you to start the contacts right away. ESU will also have a special day during the next European Students’ Convention in Lille dedicated to the situation in the Bologna Process and we invite you to join us in this discussion.
The Bologna Process started out to be about structures and not about people. The students’ gave it a soul and a new impetus since Prague. It’s time again to design a vision for the future of the Bologna Process and take the lead. Are you staying seated?
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