Improving the recognition system Prof. Andrejs Rauhvargers President, Lisbon Convention Committee

1. Improving the recognition systemProf. Andrejs RauhvargersPresident, Lisbon Convention Committee

2. studies Improving the recognition systemProf. Andrejs RauhvargersPresident, Lisbon Convention Committee employment ?

3. Want to complicate something? - Start with DEFINITIONS! So, in how many senses do we talk about ”recognition”? • Recognition of a higher education institution • Recognition of a higher education programme • Recognition of an individual qualification - nationally • Recognition of an individual qualification abroad

4. Is a formal it to statement “we recognize this qualification” enough? Mom, I am coming home!Oh, yes, they RECOGNIZED my diploma, they only couldn’t fit me in to any job or programme...

5. A definition of recognition for Bologna process Recognition = evaluation a foreign qualification with a view to find it’s right path in the host country’s a) education or b) employment system

6. Outcome of recognition is purpose - depending Recognition of a qualification depends • on the qualification itself (properties of issuing education system), • on the purpose, for which it is sought, • on the properties of the host system

7. Legal framework Qualificationsframeworks Learning Outcomes Tuning Nationalimplemen-tation Information,DS New degrees QualityAssurance Recognition –children’ s play? Recognition L L L Non-national qualif. Old degrees Transnat.education Joint degrees Labour market Credits

8. Legal framework of the Lisbon Convention • Lisbon Recognition Convention (1997) • Recommendation on the recognition of international access qualifications (1999) • Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures (2001), • Code of good practice in the provision of transnational education (2001) • Recommendation on the recognition of joint degrees (2004)

9. Basic principles • right to fair recognition, • Recognition of comparable level qualifications if no substantial differences are evident, • The burden of proof – on the competent authority • Mutual trust among Parties and information provision

10. Mobile graduate’s prayer ... and forgive us our differences as we forgive those who differ from us ... Equivalence  Recognition  Acceptance

11. Substantial differences may be in • learning outcomes and competencies, • access to further activities, may even be legally stipulated – but they should follow from learning outcomes • key elements of the programme, are important only with a view of learning outcomes to be achieved • quality of the programme/institution

12. What happens if the differences ARE substantial? The recommendation is: look for possibilities for alternative or partial recognition At professional recognition under EU general systems’ directives: If the differences are substantial, the applicant can chose between • aptitude test or • adaptation period

13. National implementation • Ratification of the Convention, • Introduction of Diploma Supplement and ECTS Is that enough? • Establishing and maintaining an ENIC centre Less developed issues • change of national legislation, • actual implementation of the principles of the Convention

14. Institutional implementation • 60% HEIs say their staff is not very aware or completely unaware of LC principles • only 58% of HEIs had an institution-wide procedure recognition of foreign degrees • no institution-wide recognition policy, decisions taken on a case-by-case basis • little cooperation between institutions and ENICs/ NARICs - more than 50% of the surveyed HEIs say they don’t cooperate or even don’t know what ENIC/NARIC was

15. Reform of degree system – what impact on recognition? • „programmes leading to [bachelor] degree may, and indeed should have different orientations and various profiles in order to accommodate a diversity of individual, academic and labour market needs” • master degrees: already Trends II report indicated at least seven different purposes of Master degrees in Europe + introduction of two-tier structures across HE systems increases diversity even further. Thus, reform of degree system increases transparency, but also increases diversity,  which means – easier to give formal recognition, but more efforts needed to locate in host system.

16. Lifelong learning Award of qualifi-cation Internationalrecognition Nationalrecognition Studies/training Which stage is the bottleneck?

17. Some conclusions from the general part (II) There is a need to • actually embed the principles of the Convention into both national legislation and institutional policies, • substantially raise institutional awareness at all levels regarding recognition issues and the international legal framework, • Create/ improve institutional recognition practices, • create a positive attitude towards foreign qualifications and willingness to find the way how they can be used it in the host countries.

18. Some conclusions from the general part • For the needs of Bologna process it is not enough to formally grant recognition – success of the EHEA requires proper positioning foreign qualification in the host country’s education or employment system • The international legal framework for the recognition in the European Higher Education Area is well established and emerging needs are being properly addressed. • There is a notable progress in the ratification of the LC after the Berlin ministerial meeting.

19. Legal framework Qualificationsframeworks Learning Outcomes Tuning Nationalimplemen-tation Information,DS New degrees QualityAssurance L L L Non-national qualif. Old degrees Transnat.education Joint degrees Labour market Credits