The Bologna Declaration

As one of the 29 countries which signed the Bologna Declaration in June 1999, Malta has, through the University, embarked on a binding commitment to reform its educational system to facilitate mobility and recognition of qualifications.

Since then major improvements have been achieved by the University of Malta in several aspects which lacked compatibility with other European universities.

The Bologna Declaration is a key statement on higher education policy and reform in Europe. It is an evolving process driven by the participating countries but also involving the European Commission, the CRE (Association of European Universi-ties), the Confederation of Rectors' Conferences of the EU, the Council of Europe, the Student Platform and the EURASHE as partners in the follow-up process. Malta is represented in all these arenas.

The significance of the Bologna Declaration to Malta is particularly relevant to the recognition of qualifications within an enlarged Europe. There has been a concern for the "adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees" among European institutions.

In this context, the implementation of the Diploma Supplement in our system through which all qualifications, such as degrees, diplomas, certificates etc can be recognised and compared with much more ease is of fundamental importance. In today's era of globalisation, such recognition will also play an important role in facilitating employability in all participating countries due to the greater degree of transparency in academic recognition resulting from this system.

The Bologna Process encompasses yet another aim - to establish a system consisting of two main cycles, the undergraduate and graduate - a system with which the University of Malta is already compliant. There is also direct emphasis on the role of higher education in preparing students for the labour market as highlighted by the statement "the degree awarded after the first cycle shall also be relevant to the European labour market as an appropriate level of qualification".

Another fundamental aim of the Bologna Declaration is to eliminate any obstacles that hinder student and staff mobility among European universities. The need for a proper framework for credit accreditation was recognised by all participating countries.

The establishment of a credit system, which has been in operation in Malta for a number of years, guarantees the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) whose aim is to overcome any obstacles as a result of lack of compatibility. This system, which enables the transfer of credits from one university to another, is the backbone of the Socrates-Erasmus programme, by which Maltese higher education students can become mobile to another EU member state and vice-versa.

Mobility however should not be at the expense of quality and this is highlighted in the Bologna Decla-ration, which unequivocally states that member states should be involved in the "promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance with a view to developing comparable criteria and methodologies". This can be partly achieved through continuous research so as to keep up to date with the latest developments within the educational arena.

The University of Malta has recognised this through its participation in the fifth research programme (FP5), however it is aiming to participate even more fully through a new research programme, namely the sixth framework programme (FP6), launched in Brussels last month.

The Bologna Declaration is an evolving process - indeed, various follow-up meetings are held. The next meeting, to be held in Berlin next year, will be especially fundamental in evaluating the progress achieved to date, as well in establishing new short-term priorities and milestones in a collective effort to obtain yet a higher level of success in educational reform.

The Berlin conference will also review both the institutional and geographical horizons for the European Higher Education Area.

The fact that the Bologna Decla-ration is the key to successful educational reform in Europe has long been recognised by the University of Malta. Malta is an active participant, a healthy partner and an influential figure in the building of the European Higher Education area.

It is now hoped that the University Senate will no longer hinder the harmonisation of certain professional degrees to reflect the same nomenclature given for equivalent courses all over Europe. This is especially so in the case of the Pharmacy course where all European universities grant at least a Master's degree for the five-year undergraduate course