The Bologna-declaration

On the 19th of june 1999 twenty-nine European ministers of education signed the Bologna-declaration. This common declaration is a continuation and refinement of the principles embodied in the Sorbonne-declaration. The main goal of these declarations is the upgrading of the decreased international competitiveness of the European higher education system. This concern has to be situated in the context of the newly emerging global higher education market. Australia and the United States are the dominant players on this global market while European countries lag behind. This means that European universities attract relatively few students from outside Europe.
The Bologna-declaration is a package of measurements to enlarge the market share of the European higher education systems. It emphasised the creation of a European Higher Education Area as a key way to promote citizens’ mobility and employability all over the European Continent and the Continent’s overall development. To reach that aim the declaration points out a number of specific objectives: (1) the adoption of a system of easy readable and comparable degrees; (2) the adoption of a system based on two main cycles (undergraduate and graduate), the first cycle lasting a minimum of three years and leading to a qualification relevant to the European labour market; (3) establishment of a system of credits as a proper means of promoting the most widespread student mobility; (4) overcome obstacles to the effective exercise of free movement of students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff; (5) the promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance with a view to develop comparable criteria and methodologies; (6) the promotion of the necessary European dimensions in higher education particularly with regards to curricular development, inter-institutional co-operation, mobility schemes and integrated programmes of study, training and research.
At first sight this blueprint of ‘the Europe of knowledge’ seems very attractive. The implementation of the Bologna-declaration will surely have some benign consequences. But there are some snakes in the grass. The Bologna-declaration promotes comparability of educational institutions, qualifications and course programmes. This is meant to increase the competition between educational institutions for students, teaching staff and resources. Moreover, the Bologna-declaration is an important step in the commodification of education. It transforms education in a standard commodity that can be sold on a global education market. Furthermore, the declaration only talks about education as relevant to the labour market. The emancipatory task of education is not mentioned at all. A broad, democratic acces to higher education is also not garantueed. Not every student will be allowed to follow a graduate (Master) course. Financial tresholds and entrance exams will probably emerge. It is an explicit objective of the Bologna-declaration to drive a large group of students to the labour market after they have obtained a undergraduate (Bachelor) qualification. In this way employers will be able to reduce the wages because much employees will have only a Bachelor qualification (instead of a Masters).
The Bologna-declaration presents a perspective for the European higher education systems in the twenty-first century. We reject this perspective as a mere economic and thus too narrow vision on education. Moreover, we are incensed about the democratic deficit in the whole process. Students and teachers were not asked to participate in the drafting of the declarations.
The Bologna-declaration is drafted and signed outside the framework of the European Union or any other international organisation (WTO). Still it is major and unnoticed treath to our European education systems. But the longer the more students and teachers acknowledge this danger. Within a few months (May 2001) the European ministers of education will meet each other in Prague to talk about the implementation of the declaration and further measures. We urgently need to build a large transnational coalition to contest this whole process.

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)