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Higher education and Bologna process The strategic goal of Bologna process is to the European Higher Education Area, competitive and attractive for European citizens as well Higher education and Bologna process The strategic goal of Bologna process is to the European Higher Education Area, competitive and attractive for European citizens as well as students and youth from all over the world. The European Higher Education Area is rooted in international cooperation; it is expected to remove all obstacles and ensure a broad access to high-quality higher education built on the principles of democratic governance, university independence, their academic and research autonomy; to facilitate mobility of students, faculty and staff; to prepare young people to be active citizens; to lay the foundation for their personal development and professional growth. The name of Bologna process originates from Bologna Declaration that was signed on June 19, 1999 by Ministers of Education representing 29 European states, in an Italian city if Bologna where the oldest in Europe university is located. Today, 46 states have joined the Bologna process, other members of Bologna process are: European Commission, Council of Europe, the UNESCO European Centre for Higher Education, European University Association, European Students’ Union, European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, Education International, BUSINESSEUROPE and others. The major reforms foreseen by the Bologna process: Transfer to a three-cycle higher education system (bachelor, master, PhD); Lifelong learning, including recognition of previous formal and informal learning, flexible learning paths that allow to combine work and education, easing access to higher education for people of all ages; Equal opportunities in access to higher education and fostering social cohesion through education; Increasing employability; Development, introduction and recognition of joint degree programs and joint diplomas that are issued by partner universities and are recognized by each of the partners involved in the delivery of a joint program; Mobility within and outside Europe; Recognition of learning and degrees obtained in other countries and on other continents; Quality assurance.
The driving force of the Bologna process are Ministerial Conferences that are held once in two years, sometimes every year. The Conferences are prepared by Bologna Follow-up Group, with support of Bologna working groups and task forces. The last Ministerial Conference was held in Leuven, Belgium, on April 28-29, 2009. Leuven Communiqué sums up the major achievements of Bologna process; identifies current challenges – like globalization, rapid technological change, aging population, financial and economic crisis – to which the higher education systems have to response; outlines objectives for the next decade and up to the next Ministerial Conference scheduled for April 2012 in Bucharest, Romania. Ukraine joined Bologna process in 2005. The Action Plan for Quality Assurance of Ukraine’s Higher Education and its Integration into the European and Global Educational Space for the Period of 2010 was adopted by the decree of the Minister of Education and Science № 612 of 13.07.2007. A series of other steps in facilitation of Bologna process were taken: the Bologna Follow-up Interdepartmental Commission) under the Ministry of Education and Science and National Team of Bologna Promoters in Ukraine were established; the transfer to a three cycle system is under way; measures to promote and facilitate mobility among university students and teachers were taken; inter-university agreements for students and faculty exchange developed; draft national qualifications framework prepared; certain steps to broaden and extend university autonomy were undertaken.
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