CONFERENCE TO LAUNCH WORK ON THE ALBANIAN MASTER PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 22-23 March 2006

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CONFERENCE TO LAUNCH WORK ON THE ALBANIAN MASTER
PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 22-23 March 2006

• The Social Dimension of Higher Education in
  Europe-Current developments and issues in the
  framework of the Bologna Process
• Athanassia Spyropoulou
• University of the Peloponnese

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What is the Social Dimensionof Higher Education?

• The Social Dimension includes all provisions
  needed for having equal access, progress and
  completion of Higher Education studies

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The Social Dimension in Higher Education

• Emphasis on the social characteristics of Higher
  Education and on considering it a public good and
  a public responsibility
• aiming at-reducing social gaps-strengthening
  social cohesionboth at national and
  international level
• by means of -equal and fair access-fostering of
  free education -public support to the Higher
  Education Institutionsand public responsibility
  for Higher Education in general-social support
  schemes for students during their
  studies-removal of obstacles to
  mobility-support and promotion of lifelong
  learning

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The Social Dimension in the Bologna Process

• The Bologna Declaration (1999)
• No reference to the Social Dimension
• Emphasis on the attractiveness and
  competitiveness of the European Higher Education
  Area
• Non participatory procedures-Fairly weak or
  nonexistent involvement of the signatory
  countries-No student involvement

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From Bologna to Prague

• Opening of the debate on the Bologna Process
  across Europe
• Stronger involvement of the participating
  countries
• Involvement of European Organizations (Council of
  Europe, European Commission)
• Involvement of H.E. Institutions (EUA, EURASHE)
• Involvement of the students
• The Social Dimension appears on the agenda of the
  Process

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The Prague Communiqué (2001)

• The Social Dimension appears for the first time
  in an official Bologna Document, the Ministers
  Communiqué
• as a general concept
• with reference to specific issues such as
  mobility and lifelong learning
• Higher Education should be considered a public
  good and is and will remain a public
  responsibility
• as a result of random amendments and proposals
  made by various countries and the students during
  the Ministerial Conference
• the need to take account of the Social Dimension
  of the Bologna Process was recalled by the
  students
• The Ministers asked for further improvement in
  all issues regarding the social dimension through
  a wider and more systematic analysis on the way
  to Berlin

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From Prague to Berlin

• The Social Dimension appears high on the agenda
  of the European Debate
• Official Bologna events focused specifically on
  it-The Athens Seminar on the Social Dimension
  (February 2003)- the 5th European Student
  Convention of ESIB in Athens (February 2003)
• Other official Bologna events dealt with Social
  Dimension issues as well-The Prague Seminar on
  Lifelong Learning (June 2003)-The Oslo Seminar
  on Student Participation (June 2003)
• Wide and active participation of the
  participating countries and all the actors and
  organizations involved (EUA, EURASHE, ESIB,
  European Union, Council of Europe) in the
  preparation of the Berlin Communiqué through the
  works of the BFUG

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The Berlin Communiqué (2003)

• The Social Dimension gains a prominent position,
  in the Preamble of the Berlin Communiqué,
  together with the reaffirmation that Higher
  Education is a public good and a public
  responsibility
• In the main body of the document the specific
  references to the various aspects of the Social
  Dimension are made in a systematic and coherent
  manner
• Balance between the need to increase
  competitiveness and the need to improve the
  social characteristics of the European Higher
  Education Area
• with the aim to-strengthen social
  cohesion-reduce social inequalities
• within each separate country and in Europe as a
  whole

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For the first time in an official Bologna Process
document

• equal access Commitment to making Higher
  Education equally accessible to all, on the basis
  of capacity, by every appropriate means(U.N.
  Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
  Rights)
• Student retention or drop-out issues in the
  Communiqué the need is stressed for appropriate
  studying and living conditions for the students,
  so that they can successfully complete their
  studies within an appropriate period of time
  without obstacles related to their social and
  economic background

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Student Mobility

• Specific attention paid to the importance of
  student mobility for the academic and cultural,
  as well as for the political, social and economic
  spheres
• Mobility should be available to all
• Need to make every effort to remove all obstacles
  to mobility
• Specific reference to enabling the portability of
  national loans and grants

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Lifelong Learning

• Prague Communiqué Lifelong Learning cannot be
  limited to the perspective of mere employability.
  It should also be considered as one of the most
  important means towards improving social cohesion
• Berlin Communiqué the necessity for improving
  opportunities for all citizens to follow the
  lifelong learning paths into and within Higher
  Education, established in accordance with their
  aspirations and abilities.

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From Berlin to Bergen

• Official Bologna Seminars-Public Responsibility
  for Higher Education and Research, Council of
  Europe, Strasbourg, September 2004-Designing
  Policies for Mobile Students, Noordwijk, October
  2004-The Social Dimension of Higher Education
  facing world-wide competition, Paris, January 2005

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From Berlin to Bergen (ii)

• Paris seminar
• Re-affirmation of the importance of the Social
  Dimension in the Bologna Process and of all the
  previous statements
• Plus -further development of scholarships for
  students from third countries transnational
  exchanges based on academic quality and academic
  values mobility of quality reduction of the
  existing gap (a study on mobility?)-socially
  cohesive system of student grants and loans
  promotion of social equity and equal
  opportunities-need for more comparable data on
  the social and economic situation of students (a
  survey?)-quality assurance mechanisms, internal
  and external integration of the social dimension
  aspect as much as possible-social dimension a
  priority for 2005-2007

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From Berlin to Bergen iii

• 3rd EUA Convention of European Higher Education
  Institutions in Glasgow, 31 March-02 April 2005
• The Social Dimension should be seen as an
  overarching or transversal action line that
  affects all aspects of HE.
• The Social Dimension a priority for 2005-07
• In line with the Paris seminar, eg More data
  needed solidarity towards students and countries
  with less favorable conditions to reduce gaps
  more data needed integral aspect of internal QA
  mechanisms

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The Bergen Communiqué (2005)

• A separate paragraph on the social dimension
• The social dimension of the Bologna Process is
  a constituent part of the EHEA and a necessary
  condition for the attractiveness and
  competitiveness of the EHEA. We therefore renew
  our commitment to making quality higher education
  equally accessible to all, and stress the need
  for appropriate conditions for students so that
  they can complete their studies without obstacles
  related to their social and economic background.
  The social dimension includes measures taken by
  governments to help students, especially from
  socially disadvantaged groups, in financial and
  economic aspects and to provide them with
  guidance and counselling services with a view to
  widening access
• About mobility Aware of the many remaining
  challenges to be overcome, we (Ministers)
  reconfirm our commitment to facilitate the
  portability of grants and loans where appropriate
  through joint action, with a view to making
  mobility within the EHEA a reality. We
  (Ministers) shall intensify our efforts to lift
  obstacles to mobility by facilitating the
  delivery of visa and work permits and by
  encouraging participation in mobility
  programmes.

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Emphasis on implementation Stocktaking

• The future stocktaking will have to take into
  account the social dimension as defined above
• We (Ministers) also charge the Follow-up Group
  (BFUG) with presenting comparable data on the
  mobility of staff and students as well as on the
  social and economic situation of students in
  participating countries as a basis for future
  stocktaking and reporting in time for the next
  Ministerial Conference.

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Toward London (2007)

• At the Bologna Process Level
• Working Group on the Social Dimension and
  Academic Mobility
• At national level
• Commitment to
• promote equal access (appropriate conditions for
  students, guidance, counseling)
• and lift obstacles to mobility

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Working Group on the social dimension and
academic mobility

• Subject Social dimension and data on the
  mobility of staff and students in participating
  countries report on comparable data on mobility
  of staff and students as well as on the social
  and economic situation of students, as the basis
  for future stocktaking
• Lead by Annika Persson, Sweden Austria
• Members Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, France,
  Ireland, Luxembourg, Ukraine, UK , Bologna
  Secretariat rep.
• Consultative members, EUA, EI Pan European
  Structure, ESIB, Eurostudent, OECD, Eurostat
• Terms of Reference agreed by BFUG in November
  2005.
• Two meetings of the working group so far
  Brussels, 14-15 December 2005 and Stockholm, 19
  January 2006

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Terms of Reference

• Mission statement
• 1. To define the concept of social dimension
  based on the ministerial communiqués of the
  Bologna Process
• 2. To present comparable data on the social and
  economic situation of students in participating
  countries
• 3. To present comparable data on the mobility of
  staff and students and
• 4. To prepare proposals as a basis for future
  stocktaking.
• The Working Group will be led by a Steering
  Committee. The work will be organised along
  three broad projects and with subsequent
  subgroups working with (a) and (b) and (c) will
  be the responsibility of the Steering Committee
• (a) Definition of the social dimension using the
  previous communiqués as a starting point for
  discussion
• (b) The collection and exploration of data with
  three strands socio- and economic situation of
  the students based upon the definition, mobility
  of students and mobility of staff and
• (c) Recommendations on the scope of a future
  stocktaking exercise on the social dimension
  and on mobility, according to the definition
  emerging from subgroup (a) and the availability
  of comparable data as identified by subgroup
  (b).
• Source BFUG WORK PROGRAMME - 2005-2007,
  http//www.dfes.gov.uk/bologna/ , accessed
  12/03/2006

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The Way Forward

• In the framework of the Bologna Process
• The prominent position the Social Dimension has
  gained in the Bologna Process is a significant
  improvement
• Efforts need to be continued to strengthen the
  position of the Social Dimension within the
  Process and to safeguard what has been achieved
  so far
• The commitments taken by the Ministers in Berlin
  and in Bergen need to be implemented
• It is the responsibility of governments to
  implement the commitments and of the academic
  community (institutions, academic staff and
  students) and other stakeholders to ask or even
  push for the implementation of these commitments

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The Social Dimension and the Lisbon Strategy

• The Social Dimension is also one of the links of
  the Bologna Process to the Lisbon Strategy. The
  famous statement of the European Council in 2000
  about the necessity to make Europe the most
  competitive and the most dynamic knowledge-based
  economy in the world, has a second part as well,
  that Europe also needs sustainable economic
  growth with more and better jobs and greater
  social cohesion

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The way forward as regards the Social Dimension
of Higher Education in general

• Attractiveness, competitiveness and excellence -
  social cohesion the two sides of the coin as
  regards the improvement of Higher Education both
  at national and international level
• The Social Dimension a key feature of Higher
  Education in Europe regardless of the Bologna
  Process and an indispensable underlying value of
  Higher Education itself. Defending and promoting
  the Social Dimension is one of the major means
  and at the same time one of the major guarantees
  for the accomplishment of the full mission of
  Higher Education within the institutions and
  within society at large.