The Bologna Process is a reform process that aims to create a European Higher Education Area by 2010. It is an unusual process created and maintained by 47 member states (the number of member states increased from 45 to 46 when Montenegro declared its independence, and finally to 47 with Kazakhstan's participation in the process) in cooperation with many international organizations. Membership in the process is not based on any agreement between governments/states. The papers published within the scope of Bologna Process have no legal binding. It is a process in which each country participates in a free will, and the countries have the right to accept or reject the goals set out by the Bologna Process.
Citizens of countries within the European Higher Education Area that the Bologna Process aims to create, will be able to move around Europe easily with the aim of working or studying in higher education. Europe will be preferred by people from other parts of the world both in terms of higher education and job opportunities.
What is the most undesirable thing in the European Higher Education Area is that the education systems of the member states should be transformed into a uniform higher education system. The main goal in the European Higher Education Area is to strike a balance between diversity and unity. The aim is to make higher education systems comparable and compatible with each other by preserving their unique differences. In this way, it is planned to facilitate the transition from one country or higher education system to another, thereby increasing the mobility and employment of students and lecturers.
How Did The Bologna Process Begin?
The foundations of the Bologna Process were laid in 1998 by the Sorbonne Declaration issued at the end of a meeting held by the Ministers of Education of France, Italy, Germany and England in Sorbonne. The idea of creating a common higher education area in Europe emerged for the first time with this statement. However, the Bologna Process officially began in 1999 with the signing and publication of the Bologna declaration by the ministers responsible for higher education of 29 European countries. Six of the main goals of the Bologna Process have been announced with this statement. These goals are:
- To create highly understandable and comparable higher education diplomas and / or degrees (development of the Diploma Supplement application for this purpose),
- To switch to a two-stage degree system: Bachelor and Master in Higher Education,
- To implement the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS),
- To provide and expand the mobility of students and lecturers,
- To establish and expand the network of quality assurance systems in higher education,
- To improve European dimension in higher education.
What happened after 1999?
Two years after the release of the Bologna declaration, with the participation of three new countries (Turkey, Croatia and Cyprus), including our country, the ministers of higher education of 32 European countries met in Prague on 19 May 2001 to monitor the Bologna Process and set priorities for the coming years.
3 goals added to Bologna Process in Prague:
- To promote lifelong learning,
- To ensure the active participation of students and higher education institutions in the process,
- To render the European Higher Education Area appealing.
The Higher Education Ministers of 33 European countries, meeting in Berlin in 2003, added a 10th goal to the Bologna Process on "establishing a synergy between the European Research Area (ERA) and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)and doctoral studies"; they also set the following 3 priority areas to be realized before the Bergen Conference in 2005 in order to accelerate the process:
- Two-stage degree structure in higher education (Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree ) ,
- Recognition of higher education diplomas and / or degrees and duration of study,
- Quality assurance.
7 other countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Vatican Republic, the Russian Federation, Serbia-Montenegro, Macedonia and Andorra) joined the Bologna Process at the conference in Berlin, bringing the total number of countries to 40.
The number of member states increased to 45 with the acceptance of 5 new countries at the fourth European Education Ministers ' Conference held in Bergen, Norway on 19-20 May 2005. In this meeting, 4 priority areas were identified which were intended to be realized between 2005 and 2007. These priority areas:
- To create a synergy between the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area,
- To strength the social dimension of the Bologna Process,
- To provide the mobility of students and lecturers,
- To render the European Higher Education Area appealing, ensure and strength the cooperation with non-European countries.
At the meeting, it was also decided to prepare a Stocktaking Report to identify the applications and developments in the member states on the following 4 main topics, which are expected to be realized by 2007.:
- The implementation of the "Quality Assurance Standards and Implementation principles"for higher education institutions in the European Higher Education Area developed by the European Association of Quality Assurance (ENQA) in member countries
- Applications of National Qualifications frameworks,
- Joint higher education programs, including doctoral programs,
- To create flexible learning paths in higher education.