Anti-Bologna movement spreads in Spain
Have you heard this on the BBC? With all the air time that they have
you might have thought that something as important as student unrest in
Spain and Greece over not only the Bologna Process but the very high
levels of youth unemployment might have been worthy of their editors'
attention.
They did report the Greek riots but never linked it to this. On the
other hand perhaps one should remember that they have taken over £400
million loans at very favourable rates from the European Investment
Bank, with the caveat that they must at all times promote the EU and
never criticise any aspect of it. So much for BBC impartiality. B&A
http://euobserver.com/9/27303?print=1
Anti-Bologna movement spreads in Spain LEIGH PHILLIPS
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Opposition to the Bologna Process, an
EU-inspired series of university and college reforms, has expanded
substantially across Spain in recent weeks, as students protest, occupy
school buildings and even block rail lines.
In the last week, demonstrations and occupations have in particular
stepped up in Madrid with sit-ins taking over faculties or otherwise
protesting at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), the rectorate
of the Autonomous
University of Madrid (UAM) and University of Alcalá de Henares
northeast of the capital.
Students occupying the Autonomous University of Barcelona
Actions have also taken place in Valencia, Seville and further afield.
In Barcelona, students blocked railway lines. The Bologna Process has
also provoked significant student opposition in Italy, Finland and
Croatia.
Protests against the reform of European higher education have rolled
across the continent in the past year, with students attacking the
Bologna Process as a way to commercialise public universities and
impose an Anglo-Saxon
style tertiary education system on other countries.
But the protests in Spain have been more militant than in other EU
member states and other countries participating in the reforms.
The Bologna Process bills itself as a series of changes to
post-secondary education that are primarily intended to ease mobility
for both students and academics.
A recent survey by the Erasmus Student Network revealed that only 58
percent of Erasmus students (the European post-secondary student
exchange programme) are receiving recognition for all the courses they
take abroad. The Bologna Process aims to fix this problem.
The process kicked off in 1999, when the EU's four largest member
states, France, Germany, Italy and the UK, said they wanted to see a
harmonised higher eduction system "which has been a bit of a jigsaw
puzzle," according to John MacDonald, the European Commission's
education, training and culture spokesman.
The heart of the process is twofold: the development of a system of
credits for both academic learning, and the design of a common degree
structure for university education. A similar mechanism is also under
way for vocational
training – the Copenhagen Process.
The common structure that was chosen is partially modelled on the
Anglo-American three-cycle Bachelor's-Master's-Doctorate system.
The process has been so popular amongst governments not just in
Europe, but well beyond, with 46 states signing up. Australia, Israel
and Thailand have even expressed interest.
Intergovernmental agreements
The EU itself has no competence in the realm of education and the
Bologna Process was not based on any EU initiative or legislation, but
rather through a series of intergovernmental agreements. However,
despite this, the European Commission plays an increasingly key role in
the implementation of the process.
But students argue that while it may be popular amongst politicians,
it is this very intergovernmental level bargaining that has produced
the reform mechanisms that has left them out of the loop.
Students in Spain fear that the streamlining of education systems is
being done more for the sake of employers' than their. They are
strongly critical of allowing companies to fund certain degrees, saying
this commercialises
public universities.
They are also worried that in a country with few grants and no loans,
changes increasing class hours and boosting the number of assessments,
they will no longer be able to work to support themselves while they
study.
Additionally, they are frustrated by the decision to introduce the
Anglo-American system, in which they will now have to obtain a pricey
master's degree to win the same recognised level of educational
achievement as previously with just one degree.
John MacDonald told this news site that the Bologna Process is solely
a curricular reform, "but some governments have chosen to use the
impetus of the Bologna Process to institute other changes over funding
and governance at the same time."
"It is more these aspects they are protesting over. Despite all you
hear about the demonstrations and so on being anti-Bologna, the irony
is that aspects that they are opposed to have nothing to do with the
process," he said.
"They're not really anti-Bologna as such, it's about the governance
changes," which, as the European Commission has no competence in
education and the Bologna Process is entirely voluntary, he underscored
that such changes were up to the governments themselves.
Greek riots
Some of the students have been emboldened in recent days by the
ongoing youth revolt in Greece.
Mr MacDonald underscored that European institutions did attempt to
take youth concerns into account into every policy area, but added that
he is worried that there was something of a disconnect between
political leaders and Europe's youth.
"Speaking to young people, through the European Youth Forum for
example," he said, "we find that prominent amongst their concerns is
fear of unemployment - it's double the rate of unemployment amongst
older workers. Greece after Spain has the highest levels of youth
unemployment in Europe."
"They've lost a sense of social belonging. There's a strong feeling of
alienation from the society around them."
"If we have a reaction to what's happening in Greece, the French riots
a few years ago and to a lesser extent in Spain - of course we don't
endorse the violent actions, but that said, there's clearly a signal
being sent that politicians need to be paying better attention to the
concerns of young people."
© 2008 EUobserver.com. All rights reserved. Printed on 15.12.2008.
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