Bologna Process

The Bologna Process is a reform process that aims to create a European Higher Education Area by 2010. It is an extraordinary process, created and maintained by 47 member states (the number of member states increased from 45 to 46 with the declaration of independence of Montenegro, and to 47 with the inclusion of Kazakhstan in the process) with the cooperation of many international organizations. Membership in the process is not based on any governmental/interstate agreement. Papers published within the scope of the Bologna Process are not legally binding. The process is a formation in which every country participates with their free will, and countries have the right to accept the goals envisaged by the Bologna Process.

 

Citizens of countries within the European Higher Education Area, which the Bologna Process aims to create, will be able to easily move around Europe for the purposes of higher education or working. Europe will be made preferred by people from other parts of the world in terms of both higher education and job opportunities.

 

The most undesirable thing in the European Higher Education Area is to make the education systems of the member countries a uniform higher education system. The main aim in the European Higher Education Area is to establish a balance between diversity and unity. The aim is to make higher education systems comparable and compatible with each other while preserving their distinctive 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.

 

The foundations of the Bologna Process were laid in 1998 with the Sorbonne Declaration published at the end of the meeting held in the Sorbonne by the Ministers of Education of France, Italy, Germany and England. The idea of creating a common higher education area in Europe emerged for the first time with this declaration. However, the Bologna Process officially started 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 objectives of the Bologna Process were announced with this declaration. These goals are:

1. Creating easily understandable and comparable higher education diplomas and/or degrees (developing the Diploma Supplement application for this purpose),
2. To switch to a two-stage degree system in higher education, including undergraduate and graduate degrees,
3. To implement the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS),
4. To ensure and expand the mobility of students and lecturers,
5. To establish and disseminate the network of quality assurance systems in higher education,
6. To develop the European dimension in higher education.

 

Two years after the publication of the Bologna Declaration, with the participation of three new countries (Turkey, Croatia and Cyprus), including our country, the Ministers responsible for higher education of 32 European countries were held in Prague on 19 May 2001 to monitor the Bologna Process and gathered to set priorities for the years.

 

7. Promoting lifelong learning,
8. Ensuring active participation of students and higher education institutions in the process,
9. Making the European Higher Education Area attractive.

 

The Ministers of Higher Education of 33 European countries, meeting in Berlin in 2003, participated in the Bologna Process with the theme of “Establishing a synergy between the European Research Area (ERA) and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and PhD studies”. they added the 10th target; In addition, in order to accelerate the process and make due diligence in the member countries, they have determined the following 3 priority areas to be held before the 2005 Bergen Conference:

• Two-stage degree structure in higher education (undergraduate and graduate),
• Recognition of higher education diplomas and/or degrees and periods of study,
• Quality assurance.

 

At the Conference in Berlin, 7 more countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Vatican Republic, Russian Federation, Serbia-Montenegro, Macedonia and Andorra) joined the Bologna Process and the total number of countries reached 40.

 

At the European Education Ministers Conference, which was held for the fourth time in Bergen, Norway on 19-20 May 2005, the number of member countries increased to 45 with the admission of 5 new countries. In this meeting, 4 priority areas targeted to be realized between 2005-2007 were determined. These priority areas are:

1. Creating a synergy between the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area,
2. Strengthening the Social Dimension of the Bologna Process,
3. Mobility of Students and Instructors,
4. Making the European Higher Education Area attractive and ensuring and strengthening cooperation with non-European countries.

 

At the meeting, it was also decided to prepare an evaluation report (Stocktaking Report) in order to determine the practices and developments in the member countries on the following 4 main issues, which are expected to be realized until 2007:

1. Applications in member countries 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),
2. Applications of National Qualifications Frameworks,
3. Joint higher education programs, including doctoral programs,
4. To establish flexible learning paths in higher education.