Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-22-Speech-1-194"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20080922.27.1-194"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I do hope the fact that we are once again meeting
this evening does not imply anything about our basic attitude to education.
The Bologna Process is truly the most radical reform of higher education in recent years. The flow of knowledge should surely not stop at national boundaries any more in this day and age. This is why it is also essentially gratifying that the Member States and the universities are prepared to work together on this matter, regardless of the subsidiarity principle they always prize so highly. I welcome that, but I also note that all the parliaments have been bypassed in this matter. The European Parliament was not contacted, nor were any of the 46 national parliaments.
The galling thing is that we Members of Parliament are constantly being asked out there about this Bologna Process. If anything goes wrong, the finger is pointed at us, yet we have nothing at all to do with it; not even the Commission has had anything to do with it. I am glad to say that the Commission is now on board and is helping to get this Bologna Process off the ground in the framework of our educational programmes with which you will be familiar. In short, the labour pains were difficult, and they are not yet over. It would have been wise to involve the parliaments.
By 2010 we want to create a European area of higher education. That goes without saying. Students must have a broad spectrum of choice, a wide range of high-quality courses. To this end, the Bologna Process envisages three priority areas for action: the introduction of the three-cycle system of bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctorates, quality assurance and recognition of qualifications and periods of study.
Student mobility and high-quality education are supposed to be among the top priorities of the Bologna Process, but the process itself, and particularly the rushed introduction of bachelor’s courses, has resulted – as we have learned from our hearings – that fewer students dare to spend any study time abroad during their bachelor’s courses because these courses have been overladen with far too much learning material. Five years of university study cannot suddenly be packed into a three-year bachelor’s degree course. That is what has been done in some cases. Then it emerges that students cannot get away at all, that studying abroad is out of the question. That is a pity. Erasmus is such a great programme, and the opportunities it offers, plus all other opportunities to go abroad, ought to be taken. In fact, a course involving mobility really ought to be made compulsory.
In my view, the credit system is not working. It is not right that three credits should be awarded for a particular module in one country while another country awards only one. There must be a European framework within which everyone is treated equally. This is an area where more work is needed. I believe the theory is good, but it is not being applied particularly well.
We should also ensure that universities do everything in their power to take advantage of funding opportunities in order to make it easier for students to exercise their mobility if they wish to do so. For many universities, this will mean coming out of their ivory towers and linking up with the business community. How many large companies would consider it an honour to sponsor a doctorate or master’s course? If it meant that a master’s course had to bear the name of Mercedes or Sony or some other corporate brand, so be it! The point is that the sponsorship money would help students. It is not a matter of selling anyone the right to stipulate the content of the curriculum but of locating sources of funding that really do enable anyone who is interested to study abroad. If we make progress towards the achievement of these goals with the aid of the Commission, we shall all be well content."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples