For the first time, the meeting of the Bologna Process took place online: Ukraine continues to co-chair the European Higher Education Area
On April 2-3, 2020, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine held a meeting of the Board of the Bologna Process Group and the Drafting Committee on the preparation of the Roman Communiqué. Due to the spread of coronavirus and quarantine, key events of the Bologna process were held for the first time in the format of an online conference.
For 18 hours over 2 days, representatives of the Bologna process and advisory members exchanged a vision of responding to the challenges of the future European Higher Education Area in the face of global uncertainty and the role of higher education. Among the key topics of the meeting were rethinking the essence of the university, teaching methods and methods, the inclusion of digital access to higher education opportunities, the introduction of flexible educational paths, the preservation of the fundamental values of higher education.
The meeting was attended by the European Commission (Council), the Council of Europe, the European University Association (EUA), the European Association of Higher Education Institutions (EURASHE), the European Student Association (ESU).
Scheduled for June 2020, the Conference of Ministers Responsible for Higher Education of the Member States of the European Higher Education Area has been postponed to November 2020. All the working groups of the Bologna process use an additional 5 months to reflect on and quality reviews their work to form the Ministerial Conference agenda for higher education in the European Higher Education Area for the next decade.
Despite the challenges facing the world community now, in the conditions of indefinite postponement and cancellation of various events, Ukraine continues to fulfill all its co-chairmanship obligations at a high level. Over the next few months, members of the Roman Communiqué Drafting Committee will conduct a series of additional online consultations using modern technology to organize communication with colleagues from other ministries of the European Higher Education Area.
Recall that among the priorities of the Bologna process for the next 10 years is balanced academic mobility and the role of higher education in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is strengthened.
Information:
The Bologna Process is an intergovernmental cooperation on the reform of higher education systems of the member countries of the European Higher Education Area. The Bologna process officially began in 1999, when the Bologna Declaration was signed. Ukraine became a member of the Bologna process in 2005. Today, 48 countries are members of the European Higher Education Area.
The activities of the Bologna Process are based on the principle of rotation of the two countries of the Bologna Process, which have been spearheaded in the European Higher Education Area for 6 months, thus ensuring balanced and democratic decision-making among the 48 countries of the Bologna Process. In the 1st half of 2020, Ukraine and Croatia provide co-chairmanship in the European Higher Education Area.
Source: МESU
