Outside the Bologna Process

By signing the Bologna Declaration in 1999 the countries, signatories of the Declaration, announced the creation of the Unified European Higher Education and Scientific area, in the framework of which were set up common conditions for acknowledgement of higher education Diplomas, employment, mobility of citizens, etc, and according to the initiators of the Bologna Process that would allow for significant improvement of the competitiveness of the European labour market and provision of educational services.

There are ten separate directions within the Bologna Process. The most important ones are as follows. The Bologna Declaration sets up a requirement to accept a common system of related scientific degrees. All countries, that have joined the Bologna Process, have to introduce a two-cycle higher education system in compliance with the formula 3 + 2. The first cycle, Bachelor’s degree, is supposed to last at least three years, the second cycle, Marster’s degree, at least two years. Moreover, these degrees have to be accepted at the European labour market as valid with regard to certain educational and qualification levels. The Master’s degree opens access to further education for a Doctoral degree.

Mobility allows erasing barriers between the European Higher Education establishments. It means that it is easy for students, professors and graduates to move from one country to the other (within the European Higher Education Area) – for the purpose of further study or employment. Therefore a student may take up studies in any country and after that chose himself or herself the place of work in any European country.

The Bologna Process also created a grading system which is common and objective for all Higher Education establishments regardless of the country. The system is based on so-called ‘credits’. While undergoing their studies students receive scores-credits that are accepted in any country, signatory of the Bologna Declaration. These credits are attached to a diploma and later on taken into account by other Universities and other establishments as an objective factor for evaluation of the level of knowledge of a graduate from any country-participant to the Bologna Process.

Education quality control. The main purpose of this direction is to set the common high quality standards in education. Certain standards and bodies that would regulate and control the quality level of the European education are being elaborated.

Good start...

Today there are 46 countries, signatories of the Declaration. In fact, Belarus remains the only European country that has not joined the Bologna Process.

An ex-rector of the Belarusian State University, professor Aleksandr Kozoulin recalls, that “in 1999 the Belarusian State University initiated the elaboration of a national programme of joining the Bologna Declaration. In order to achieve common European Higher Education standards it was necessary to draft new programmes and methodologies of education. We managed to achieve that the Council of Ministers adopted a regulation regarding a progressive experiment to be held from 2000. I am convinced that by 2007 we could become part of the Bologna Process”.

From time to time education officials claim that Belarus has an intention to join the European Higher Education area. Last year, the Head of the Department for Higher and Secondary education of the Ministry of Education of Belarus, Yury Miksiuk said that joining the union of the 46 European countries was only a formality due to the fact that Belarus belonged to the Bologna accord.

There is a world demand in Belarusian Physics, Chemist and IT experts

A number of Belarusian Universities accepted recently the European two-cycle system of experts training. A Deputy Dean of the Physics Faculty of the Belarusian State University, Aleksey Tolstik, expressed his opinion in this regard, “formally we fall under the Bologna Process. The Faculty of Physics is actually already training bachelors and masters. In the course of two years students are taught general subjects and starting with the third year, qualification starts. As a result students are taught special subjects in the course of three years in their field. I personally think that our graduates are highly valued in the West due to their profound knowledge”.

However in order to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Belarus, it is necessary to study for four years and six years for Master’s degree. For reference, one of the clauses of the Bologna Declaration stipulates that the number of years of studies for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees should be reduced. Europe is aiming for shorter timeframe for obtaining these degrees, i.e. 3 and 4 years correspondingly.

With regard to the assessment of the quality of the education and acceptance of Belarusian diplomas in the rest of the world, the Deputy Dean of the Physics Faculty of the Belarusian State University, Aleksey Tolstik, is convinced that “our graduates that continue studies or seek employment in Germany or the USA are not required to confirm their Diplomas. Our diplomas in sciences and other technical fields are extremely well appreciated in the world: both in Europe and in the USA. Both, the Academy of Sciences and the Belarusian State University train very good experts in Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Electronics and Computer Sciences who are able to take up jobs at a very high international level. They also receive international scolarships”.

An ex-President of the Academy of Sciences, a Professor and Doctor in Physics and Mathematics, Aleksandr Voytovich, thinks that in the Western countries the quality level of an expert is being judged by the level of knowledge rather than by a diploma. “They are prepared to invite a person to work in order to evaluate his or her level of expertise. Indeed, our young experts in Sciences are very well trained and they easily find jobs abroad. With regard to Humanity Sciences, there is no demand in our experts. Concerning experts in Medical Sciences the situation is variable, the medical ‘lobby’ existing abroad in this field is very powerful and does not allow for external competition and sets up certain barriers, i.e. there is a requirement for additional tests and exams to validate such diplomas”, he said.

Therefore regardless of the high level of knowledge of the Belarusian medical experts and received quality education and experience, have to confirm their diplomas in all the countries of the world.

«Belarusian Education is ideological»

Belarusian diplomas in Humanity Sciences are not highly valued in the world. A candidate for a PhD in Philosophy, the Head of the “Belarusian Collegium”, Ales Antsipenka thinks that “the level of our education is far from the European standards, in particular, in the area of Humanity Sciences. The Western education is based on the concept of an individual, who is obtaining his freedom as a social person via education and who has wide opportunities to study a wide range of alternative subjects as a professional, while our education is not aiming for that and does not have such concept of an individual per se”.

The only higher education establishment that was more or less close to the European standards was the European Humanities University, which is now in exile in Vilnius. With regard to other higher education institutions and ones focusing on humanities in particular, a philosopher and the Head of the “Belarusian Collegium”, Ales Antsipenka thinks that “the Bologna Process stands for ideology free education. Our education is ideological. The state needs ideological education in the form it exists at the moment. The state needs it in order that those who study at the state cost were dedicated to the country and to the state ideology. However in reality that means dedication to the regime which has now monopolized the country rather than to the country itself”.