MOBILITY IN THE BOLOGNA PROCESS

Identifying Concepts, Structures andMechanisms to Facilitate International

Higher Education Partnerships for B.A, M.A. and Ph.D. Students

Prof. György BAZSA, PresidentHungarian Accreditation Committee

IUC, Dubrovnik, 28 September 2007

Bologna Declaration – 1999

Promotion of mobility by overcoming obstacles to the effective exercise of free movement with particular attention to:

• for students, access to study and training opportunities and to related services

• for teachers, researchers and administrative staff, recognition and valorisation of periods spent in a European context researching, teaching and training, without prejudicing their statutory rights.

Prague – 2001

Ministers reaffirmed that efforts to promote mobility must be continued to enable students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff to benefit from the richness of the European Higher Education Area including its democratic values, diversity of cultures and languages and the diversity of the higher education systems. [no obstacles]

Berlin – 2003Mobility of students and academic and administrative

staff is the basis for establishing a European Higher Education Area. Ministers emphasise its importance for academic and cultural as well as political, social and economic spheres. They note with satisfaction that since their last meeting, mobility figures have increased, thanks also to the substantial support of the European Union programmes, and agree to undertake the necessary steps to improve the quality and coverage of statistical data on student mobility. They reaffirm their intention to make every effort to remove all obstacles to mobility within the European Higher Education Area. With a view to promoting student mobility, Ministers will take the necessary steps to enable the portability of national loans and grants.

Bergen – 2005

We recognise that mobility of students and staff among all participating countries remains one of the key objectives of the Bologna Process. Aware of the many remaining challenges to be overcome, we 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 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. We urge institutions and students to make full use of mobility programmes, advocating full recognition of study periods abroad within such programmes.

London – 2007

2.2 Mobility of staff, students and graduates is one of the core elements of the Bologna Process, creating opportunities for personal growth, developing international co-operation between individuals and institutions, enhancing the quality of higher education and research, and giving substance to the European dimension.

2.3 Some progress has been made since 1999, but many challenges remain. Among the obstacles to mobility, issues relating to immigration, recognition, insufficient financial incentives and inflexible pension arrange-ments feature prominently. We recognise the respon-sibility of individual Governments to facilitate the deli-very of visas, residence, work permits, as appropriate.

Where these measures are outside our competence as Ministers for Higher Education, we undertake to work within our respective Governments for decisive progress in this area. At national level, we will work

• to implement fully the agreed recognition tools and procedures and

• consider ways of further incentivising mobility for both staff and students.

This includes • encouraging a significant increase in the number of

joint programmes and • the creation of flexible curricula, as well as • urging our institutions to take greater responsibility for

staff and student mobility, more equitably balanced between countries across the EHEA.

1. EUROPEAN LEVEL

Hungarian tradition: thousands of peregrines at Western European Universities (Bologna, Utrecht, Göttingen, Glasgow etc.)

Several Hungarian universities signed the Magna Charta (1988),

Hungary signed the Bologna Declaration (1999)

At present: HHE should be – and is – an active partner in the European Higher Education Area – at national, institutional and personal level.

HUNGARY

National management of EU mobility programmes:

Tempus Public Foundation, which also functions

as the Hungarian Socrates/ Erasmus Agency.

Most HE institutions have a website making their information available in English too.

2. NATIONAL LEVEL

Key objectives of H. Higher Education Act (2005):

- „to provide practicable and up-to-date skills and knowledge by launching the multi-cycle course structure with the effect of September 1, 2006 in the entire system,

- to promote the integration of Hungarian higher education into the European Higher Education Area, as well as to create the conditions for student-teacher mobility,

- to implement a governance, management and financi-al system for the institutions adapted to the chan-ged domestic and international environment,”

- …

• Since 2002 the national credit system is in full conformity with ECTS. It serves the purpose of not only credit transfer but also accumulation. The ECTS based credit system is now fully implemented – with both functions.

• The Government has been making bilateral inter- governmental agreements with several countries, and hence an increasing number of foreign students are coming to Hungary.

• Hungarian government financially assisted HEIs in creating an international student recruitment agency (Campus Hungary), which aims to promote the image of HHE as well as to recruit foreign students for our institutions.

Measures to increase outward student mobility: the new Higher Education Act is encouraging Hungarian students to study abroad, e.g.

by recognising credits gained abroad, by providing Diploma supplement (in Hungarian and English)

Act C of 2001 on the Recognition of Foreign Certificates and Degrees.

From September 1, 2006 in order to promote the mobility of students, student loans are also available for studies abroad.

Upon the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the so-called scholarship fund was established in 2005 under the management of the Hungarian Scholarship Committee.

Hungarian Accreditation Committee

is a member of ENQA (European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education), HAC SG was recently elected as ENQA Vice-president

has an International Advisory Board,

went through an international audit in 2000 and

is going to repeat it in 2008

to provide eligible accreditation of our institutions in the European Higher Education Area.

3. INSTITUTIONAL LEVELHungarian and foreign HE insitutions may provide

joint programmes awarding a Hungarian or foreign joint degree if all the following criteria are met:

a) the HEIs are entitled to provide such programmes,

b) the HEIs concerned have agreed as to the organisa- sation of the programme,

c) the HEIs concerned have been granted state recognition in their state of residence,

d) the diploma issued is accepted as a diploma awar- ded in HE pursuant to the relevant national law,

e) the agreement expressly specifies the Hungarian BA/BSc, MA/MSc or PhD course requirements to which the joint programme conforms.

„Mobility” of institutions

The higher education institution which awards foreign diplomas or certificates may also be established and operate in Hungary on the basis of an international agreement.

Subject to the authorisation of the Minister of Education and Culture and the laws of the country concerned, Hungarian higher education institutions may offer training outside the territory of the Republic of Hungary.

4. PERSONAL LEVEL

a) Students inward [HHEA]:

„Each Hungarian citizen has the right to pursue studies in a higher education institution enrolled in either state-funded or fee-paying training.”

The same possibility exists for: Citizens of the member states of the European

Economic Area and their family members. Refugees, asylum-seekers, exiles, immigrants, and

residents living in the territory of Hungary, Foreign nationals on the basis of an international

agreement

The proportion of foreign students studying in Hungary in the academic year 2005/2006 was ca. 3.2% of the total number of students.

Apart from neighbouring countries (nearly 60% of foreign students), the greatest number of foreign students arrive from Germany, Israel and Norway and enrol in foreign language programmes of Hungarian HE institutions.

Students outward:

Hungarian nationals have the right to pursue studies in foreign higher educations without any authori-sation (on a private basis).

The Ministry of Education and Culture supports the studies of Hungarian nationals in foreign state-recognised higher education institutions through scholarships awarded on the basis of applications.

Hungarian nationals may obtain a student loan for studies in a degree programme offered by state recognised higher education institutions in the countries of the European Economic Area.

Those pursuing studies abroad are eligible for a student pass.

Staff mobility

HE Act and its implementation decrees grants a far-reaching professional autonomy for higher educa-tion institutions in the area of staff mobility, too.

The effective laws – within the frames of the staff labour contract and the collective agreement – guarantee staff mobility as well as the right to participate in educational activities of other higher education institutions.

Staff mobility is primarily promoted by • the foreign relations of higher education institutions,• EU mobility programmes or • the individual scientific co-operations and grants.

Mobility:- concepts are clear,- structures are ready,- more effective mechanisms are to develop.

Obstacles: - There are no legal obstacles against mobility,

all gates are open.- Mainly financial obstacles exists, we need

more EU support.Promotion:- Bologna will do it, at present the evaluation is

to early.

Thank you for the invitation and

for your kind attention.