New Zealand and the Bologna Process

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16 The Lisbon RECOGNITION ConventionThe Council of Europe – UNESCO Convention on the Recognition ofQualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region is amultilateral legal framework for the improved international recognitionof higher education qualifications and periods of study.The central precept of the Convention stipulates that degrees and periodsof study must be recognised unless substantial differences can be provedby the institution that is charged with recognition. Alternately, theinstitution can request the person seeking the recognition to obtain anassessment (a written appraisal) of their qualification or period of study.The Convention was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Lisbon in April1997. In their Berlin Communiqué of 2003, the Ministers of Education ofthe Bologna Process called upon all parties to the Bologna Process to ratifythe Convention.New Zealand practice already accords with the principles of the Convention.In 2007 the New Zealand government requested the ability to accede tothe Convention, which was approved by the Convention’s AccessionCommittee on 20 June 2007. In December 2007 the New Zealandgovernment deposited its instrument of accession, formally joining theConvention. The Convention entered into force for New Zealand from 1February 2008.BOLOGNA TOOLS:QUALITY ASSURANCEPurposeThe European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance and theEuropean Register for Quality Assurance Agencies are designed to assurethe quality of European qualifications.AboutIn 2005 Ministers adopted the European Standards and Guidelines forQuality Assurance developed by the ‘E4’ (European Universities Association(EUA), European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education(ENQA), the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education(EURASHE) and the European Students Union (ESU)). It covers standardsfor internal and external quality assurance arrangements for highereducation institutions, internal quality assurance standards for qualityassurance agencies, cyclical reviews of national quality assurance agencies,and a European Register of Quality Assurance Agencies.In 2007 Ministers adopted recommendations on the establishment of aEuropean Register for Quality Assurance Agencies. The purpose of theRegister is to allow all stakeholders and the general public open access toobjective information about trustworthy quality assurance agencies that areworking in line with the European Standards and Guidelines. Applicationfor entry on the Register is available to any agency which ‘operates in theEHEA’, including those based outside its borders. Applications for inclusionon the Register will be evaluated on the basis of substantial compliancewith the Guidelines, evidenced through an independent review processendorsed by national authorities where required.
17 The Register was officially launched in March 2008, and will publish alist of agencies that comply with the European Standards and Guidelinesfor the first time in 2008. The website of the register is available atwww.eqar.eu.SignificanceQuality assurance plays a central role in achieving the Bologna objective toenhance the quality and international competitiveness of European highereducation. European cooperation in quality assurance will make it easier tocompare qualifications across Europe. Ministers have consistently stressedthat primary responsibility for quality assurance lies with each institution.They have also set down requirements for national quality assurance systems.IssuesWhile agreement to the establishment of national quality assuranceauthorities and processes was an early Bologna commitment, agreement tothe establishment of a European Register of Quality Assurance Agencies hasbeen more problematic, as it goes beyond the principle of subsidiarity.The European Standards and Guidelines represent best practice in qualityassurance. For many Bologna countries this is a new initiative. It is unlikelythat newly created agencies will be able to demonstrate that they meetthese standards for some years. Their absence from the Register may causeongoing tension among Bologna countries as being listed on the Registertakes on increasing significance.New Zealand ComparabilityIn New Zealand degree level programmes and the providing institutionsaccredited to deliver them are approved by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (NZVCC) and NZQA. Both organisations havebeen examining their practices in the context of the European Standardsand Guidelines.Having New Zealand’s quality assurance agencies included on the Registerwould be a useful way of benchmarking our performance, and wouldenhance our international reputation. It would remove one difficulty in theapproval of joint degree programmes with European higher educationinstitutions. Discussions on this process have begun with the EUA.Further ActionNZQA and NZVCC are currently examining their approval practices againstthe European Standards and Guidelines. Discussions have commenced withthe European authorities with respect to inclusion on the Register.TEOs may wish to consider how compatibility would be useful in gainingapproval for joint degrees.
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New Zealand and the Bologna Process

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