The Bologna Process
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
House of Commons Education and Skills Committee The Bologna Process Fourth Report of Session 2006–07 Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 16 April 2007 HC 205 Published on 30 April 2007 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £22.00 The Education and Skills Committee The Education and Skills Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Education and Skills and its associated public bodies. Membership at time Report agreed Mr Barry Sheerman MP (Labour, Huddersfield) (Chairman) Mr Douglas Carswell MP (Conservative, Harwich) Mr David Chaytor MP (Labour, Bury North) Jeff Ennis MP (Labour, Barnsley East & Mexborough) Paul Holmes MP (Liberal Democrat, Chesterfield) Helen Jones MP (Labour, Warrington North) Fiona Mactaggart MP (Labour, Slough) Mr Gordon Marsden MP (Labour, Blackpool South) Mr Andrew Pelling MP (Conservative, Croydon Central) Stephen Williams MP (Liberal Democrat, Bristol West) Mr Rob Wilson MP (Conservative, Reading East) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/edskills/ Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are David Lloyd (Clerk), Jyoti Chandola, (Second Clerk), Libby Aston (Committee Specialist), Nerys Roberts (Committee Specialist), Katie Phelan (Committee Assistant), and Susan Ramsay (Committee Secretary). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Education and Skills Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6181; the Committee’s e-mail address is [email protected] Footnotes In the footnotes for this Report, references to oral evidence are indicated by ‘Q’ followed by the question number. References to written evidence are indicated by the page number as in ‘Ev 12’. The Bologna Process 1 Contents Report Page Summary 3 1 Introduction 7 2 Origins, aims and procedures 9 Origins 9 Objectives 9 Governance 10 The role of higher education institutions 12 The Fifth Ministerial Conference—London, May 2007 13 3 Purposes and action lines of the Bologna Process 15 Comparability v. standardisation 15 Mobility, employability, and competitiveness 17 Modernisation 21 Life-long Learning 23 4 Why join in? 24 The UK’s position in the EHEA 24 The minimum case for membership and the threat of complacency 25 The benefits of UK participation in the Bologna Process 27 5 Role of the European Commission 31 The European Community’s powers in education 31 Causes for concern 32 Relations with the EC and the Commission 34 Influence and constraint: the UK Government’s position 35 6 Issues in need of resolution: opportunity for progress 38 Quality Assurance 38 Credit and ECTS 41 Second cycle (Master’s) qualifications 46 Third cycle (doctoral level) 49 Shorter higher education 51 Social Dimension 52 Role of Government 53 Involvement and engagement of universities 55 7 2010 and beyond 57 Future of the Bologna Process post-2010 57 The London Summit, May 2007 58 Conclusion 60 Annex 1 62 2 The Bologna Process Annex 2 63 Conclusions and recommendations 64 Formal Minutes 73 List of witnesses 74 List of written evidence 75 Reports from the Education and Skills Committee, Session 2006–07 76 The Bologna Process 3 Summary The Bologna Process The Bologna Process is a non-binding inter-governmental initiative between a voluntary collection of signatory countries with the goal of developing a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010. The development of a broad framework to enable comparability of higher education qualifications across the EHEA, whilst maintaining the autonomy and flexibility that defines the UK higher education system, is an ambitious and important goal which will facilitate greater mobility of high level skills in an increasingly international higher education system. From its origin, the Bologna Process has been driven by leaders in higher education across Europe and reflects the Magna Carta Universitatum, a document setting out the fundamental principles on which university level education is based, signed in 1988 by heads of universities attending the 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna. With 45 signatory countries involved (and growing), it is broader than the European Community (EC) and it is a process that originated, and continues to develop, outside the EC. This inquiry has been undertaken in the immediate run up to the London Ministerial Summit on 17–18 May 2007 in order to facilitate discussion and provide a constructive contribution to the meeting in May and beyond. Comparability versus standardisation It is clear to us that the Bologna Process is in intention and design about comparability and compatibility and not about standardisation of higher education systems across the EHEA. We have been further assured in evidence that there is currently no appetite for a homogenised EHEA amongst the 45 signatory countries. Some of our evidence, however, has demonstrated that anxieties still exist, despite the formal intentions, that working to achieve comparability across the EHEA might in practice lead in the direction of standardisation or uniformity—and therefore undermine the autonomy and flexibility of the UK system. As a result, we have recommended that the Government be increasingly vigilant in guarding against a move towards bureaucratic, top- down, detailed agreements. It is of great credit to all those involved that the Bologna Process has so far maintained the pursuit of a flexible framework based on broad non- binding principles—keeping institutional autonomy at the heart of the process. We have recommended that the Government and others work to ensure this continues—and that realistic criteria and timetables are set for the achievement of the Process’s objectives to safeguard the voluntary nature of the process. Why join in? It can reasonably be claimed that the UK is in a unique position within the EHEA. The UK has a three-phase degree structure or cycle in place, similar in most respects to that espoused as a standard by the Bologna countries, and a global reputation for high quality higher education provision maintained by a well-developed and independent quality 4 The Bologna Process assurance system making it the second most popular destination in the world for international students, behind the US. The UK’s strong position in European higher education raises questions about why it needs to be involved in the Bologna Process, what it has to gain, and why the UK should help other countries in the EHEA to modernise if that is going to risk its competitive advantage. In a rapidly developing global market for higher education, however, it would be a mistake to think that the UK is in a sufficiently advantageous position as to be able to stand aside whilst other countries in the EHEA make progress through the Bologna Process. Many countries in the EHEA have a long and proud history of excellence in higher education and many European Universities are considered to be world-class institutions. In those countries in the EHEA where their higher education systems were already admired, the Bologna Process is being used to further improve and modernise higher education. We commend the work that the Government and other agencies have been doing to help shape the modernisation process across the EHEA through the Bologna Process and support this continuing role in fostering a culture of respect for institutional autonomy and flexibility in higher education. We firmly believe that such modernisation is likely to be more successful and sustainable if it reflects a partnership between government and institutions within the higher education sector. Advantages for the UK Beyond the minimum case for membership, there are genuine advantages to be gained for the UK in contributing to the achievement of the Bologna action lines that go beyond merely protecting the UK’s national interests. There are economic advantages to be gained for the UK through engagement in the Bologna Process: increased employment and productivity; and increased competitiveness of the UK higher education sector through promoting the attractiveness and international reputation of the EHEA. There are advantages for UK students in terms of increased mobility and employment opportunities. Finally there are advantages to UK universities through the increased market for both EU and international students within the EHEA, increased mobility of staff, sharing of best practice and expertise in a broad range of areas, and increased opportunities for research collaboration across the European Research Area. Role of the European Commission The European Commission, and the European Community more broadly, play an important formal role in the Bologna Process that is welcome. The expanding role of the European Community in the field of education, however, and the belief that it is seeking to expand its role through the mechanisms of the Bologna Process, is a major cause of concern to UK organisations and institutions. It is also our greatest concern regarding the future of the Bologna Process. We recommend, therefore, that the Government seeks clarification of the exact role of the Commission in the Bologna Process. A way must be found to ensure its involvement does not undermine the essentially voluntary and ‘bottom up’ approaches characteristic of its development to date. It remains crucial to the success of the Bologna Process that it remains outside the framework of the EC. We agree with the Minister that the role of the The Bologna Process 5 European Commission must be appropriately circumscribed.