Uladzimir Dunaeu: Ideology is a serious hindrance for Belarus in realizing international obligations

Why is the Ministry of Education silent about Belarus’ conventional admission to EHEA? A triumph for officials is a shame that threatens the prospects of Roadmap’s implementation, believes the expert.

The Roadmap that Belarus has to follow after the conventional admission to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was published the other day. Why does this document present interest?

Let us recall that at the Yerevan Ministerial Communiqué Belarus was formally admitted to the Bologna process. In fact, Europe has presented a claim to Belarus and is waiting that it will “pay” it off until 2018 – before the next Ministerial Communiqué that is to take place in Paris. However, Belarusan officials presented it as a “breakthrough” and a triumph.

It is notable that the number “48” doesn’t appear in any of the documents, even in the Yerevan project communiqué, although Belarus has become the 48^th country that entered the EHEA. Besides, the participants of the Summit in Yerevan openly expressed distrust of Belarusan authorities and demanded formal obligations from them.

It was the Public Bologna Committee that recommended conventional admittance of Belarus and a Roadmap that would eliminate the deficiency of academic freedoms in Belarusan system of higher education. We talked about the key moments of the Roadmap with Uladzimir Dunaeu, professor of philosophy, a former Vice Rector of the EHU, and the member of the public Bologna committee, who is now staying in Geneva.

One of the “success stories” of the National Platform

- The other day a very important for our system of higher education document was published at the website of the Committee. What key moments of the Roadmap should Belarus as a member of the EHEA follow now?

- First, the map lists the spheres that should be reformed. They touch upon the structure of education, and post-university education in particular – this sphere isn’t included in the frames of higher education and is not a part of the Bologna system. It is very important since there are issues related to the recognition of degrees and so on. We need a different organization of post-graduate school; we need to change it into an educational program.

It is also important that the National frame of qualifications is directly called a task: i.e. it is the link between the trade and education market and the role of employers in managing the quality of education.

There is a department that is dedicated to the control of quality of education, independent agents that are performing it. In Belarus the Ministry of Education performs this control, while we need an independent agency so that the ministry doesn’t evaluate itself.

Besides, there is an issue with the European annex to the diploma, which Belarus promised to introduce back in 2011. The annex is very important, since harmonization of numerous elements of educational programs should be carried out – it is a chance that it will make it simpler for Belarusan students to us opportunities abroad. The annex allows for recognition of results of education in Belarus. Besides, the Roadmap says that it should be given to everyone for free.

There is no doubt that the map mentions the elaboration of a credit system ECTS aimed at support of students’ mobility. Social dimension of higher education is also marked as a separate area for introducing serious reforms; that touches upon access to education of all groups of Belarusan population including easing the access to education in Belarusian language.

And, finally, the main thing for us: reformation of legislation that has to do with state guarantees of academic freedoms and university’s autonomy.

It is very important to remember that the Roadmap that provides for international obligations, control, and so on is an offer that came from the National Platform. Though, probably, not final, it might be an intermediate positive result. When the National Platform is criticized, we need to remember that the Roadmap is one of its success stories. Basically, through cooperation with the European organizations civil society managed to impose Belarusan authorities certain program of reforms in the form of international obligations.

It is clear that these are not the reforms themselves, but at least it is a responsibility admitted by the Belarusan side. It seems important for me that the view on the work of the National Platform isn’t unilateral or pessimistic.

Foreign controllers and a local “Susanin”

- It was stated that the implementation of the Roadmap will be carried out under strict international control. What is the mechanism of this control, and will there be any intermediate stages?

- Agency for control of quality of education should be national. The other thing is that in accordance with the norms of EHEA foreign agencies that are qualified and included in a special European register should also have a possibility to perform this control.

As to the form of control, the map provides for the formation of an international group of observers of Bologna process. It should include a delegate from the Ministry of Education as a contact person that should enable access to all the necessary information for assessment.

The assessment will be recurring. The map provides for the directions and time when certain steps should be done and results be submitted. The final result will be considered in the spring of 2018 at the Summit of the Ministers of Education in Paris.

European charter and ideological monastery

- How much is the Ministers of Education ready to get rid of such hindrance as ideology so that to give freedom to students and teachers? Which academic freedoms do correlate with the authoritarian environment in Belarusan universities in general?

- It is a serious question. I believe that ideology is a serious hindrance for Belarus in realization of international obligations, and that is the issue we are constantly raising. We have a conflict of European and Belarusan values, which is hard to overcome. The first step is to admit the priority of European academic values. But we need to understand how we can realize the implementation of these values into our practice and legislation in situation of alternative system of values.

For now I cannot say how can we do that and whether Belarusan side will manage to do that. I believe that this is our deepest and our most principal task. Since we can reform the structure and organize mobility, but educational politics to a large degree presupposes operationalization of values and, unfortunately, the biggest problems will be with values.

Bologna Committee will be monitoring the implementation of the international demands. Belarus has taken responsibilities upon itself. I think it won’t be easy, but let’s hope we’ll manage to do something.

Paranormal member of the EHEA

- The roadmap is able to become a demolitionist of tough administrative vertical of the system of higher education that we have?

- It might, under the certain circumstances. If there were trust towards the Belarusan side, no Roadmap would be necessary. It is the deficiency of trust; Europe’s uncertainty of whether Belarus would voluntarily fulfill the recommendations or not that makes it switch on some unbelievable mechanisms. Clearly, no one has ever accepted a country with a Roadmap into Bologna process. The procedure of control and conventional admittance are also new.

Everyone asks the question: what would happen if Belarus doesn’t fulfill the conditions? It’s hard to answer this question, since there are no mechanisms of expelling a country from Bologna process. However, there were also no such mechanisms as conventional acceptance, but such mechanism was created for Belarus. Likewise, the mechanism of Belarus’ expulsion might appear.

- Nevertheless, our officials presented the news about Belarus’ joining the EHEA as a triumph. What do you thin, did the conventional admittance made them happy or perplexed them?

- I am concerned that any one from the officials mentions neither the Road map nor the conventional character of Belarus’ admittance, but talk as if they were admitted on a regular basis instead. The fact that they are cunning even now and present admittance to the EHEA as the recognition of high quality of Belarusan education causes serious fears re the prospects of realization of the Roadmap.

But I find this triumph for officials to be a shame, their non-desire to talk honestly, which, I think, is the most serious reason to start worrying.

Stop encouraging academic repressions

- I know that you are in Geneva now. Does the goal of your visit have to do with the EHEA issues?

- My visit is, first of all, related to the topic of academic freedom. The seminar I came for is dedicated to the advocacy of academic freedom and its monitoring in different countries. The subject I find particularly interesting has to do with ethical codes that the universities apply when they cooperate. It is a very serious problem for Belarus, since European partners often just ignore the issue of academic freedom in our universities. They pretend there is no such problem and that only encourages academic repressions.

I think that the issue of ethical codes as frames of cooperation, including value frames, is an important instrument of public assessment that might influence the situation with academic freedoms in Belarus. For now that is only a new perspective, but time will show how it will be realized.