Higher Education in the Council of Europe

1. Higher Education in the Council of Europe Katia Dolgova-Dreyer

2. WHY EDUCATION IN THE COUNCIL PROGRAM? • Support democracy, human rights and rule of law • Essential condition for creating democratic culture • Promote social cohesion and equal opportunities • Improve opportunities for individuals • Develop a “Europe of competence and skills” • Provide a pan-European voice

3. STRUCTURE • Steering Committee for Higher Education and Research (CDESR) • 49 countries of the Cultural Convention • Observers • Annual plenary sessions • CDESR Bureau • 8 members • 2 – 3 meetings a year • Secretariat • DG IV – Education Directorate

4. HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM • Contribution to European Higher Education Area • Recognition of qualifications • Public responsibility for higher education and research • Governance and democratic culture • New project: “The University Between Humanism and Market: Redefining its Values and Functions for the 21st Century” • Council of Europe Higher Education Fora • Publications series • Web page

5. RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS • Council of Europe/UNESCO Recognition Convention • ENIC Network • Close cooperation Council of Europe – UNESCO – European Commission • Challenges: • More emphasis on learning outcomes • More emphasis on helping learners • Good practice, including reasonable definition of “substantial differences” • Develop “recognition culture” in some 50 countries

6. PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIGHER EDCAUTION AND RESEARCH • Draft recommendation discussed CDESR 2005 and 2006 • Forum and publication • Challenge: how to ensure that public responsibility remains a reality in modern, complex societies? • Toward a more nuanced view of what public responsibility means

7. DEMOCRATIC CULTURE • Concept included in Action Plan from Third Summit (2005) • Forum June 2006 on the responsibility of HE for democratic culture, with US partners • Declaration requiring follow up activities by institutions and organizations • Web site

8. UNIVERSITY BETWEEN HUMANISM AND MARKET • New project 2007 – 2010 • Main aims: • consider the rationales, functions and values of higher education in modern, complex societies • one-dimensional vision of higher education is not fit to answer the multidimensional needs of complex modern societies • further develop the concept of the four-fold mission of higher education and research • explore the role of higher education in helping modern society cope with and benefit from cultural diversity • further contribute to the development of a European Higher Education Area addressing the full range of rationales, functions and values of higher education

9. COUNCIL OF EUROPE AND BOLOGNA • Consultative member of BFUG and Board • European Cultural Convention institutional framework, with requirement for commitment • CoE/UNESCO Recognition Convention only binding legal text in the Process • Contributes through activities on recognition, public responsibility, governance, QA and new project • Special role in assisting countries that joined the Process recently

10. BILATERAL and REGIONAL CO-OPERATION • Assistance in higher education legislation and reform • Support integration in European Higher Education Area • Focus: South East Europe, Eastern Europe. • Through • Expert advice and support • National seminars and conferences • Regional seminars • 2006, among others: • Albania • Bosnia and Herzegovina • The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia • Serbia • Russia • Two Informal Ministerial conferences (Western Balkans and 5 New countries in the Bologna Process (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine)

11. MORE INFORMATION • Council of Europe higher education web site • http://www.coe.int/T/DG4/HigherEducation/default_en.asp • ENIC/NARIC web site • http://www.enic-naric.net/ • Web site on the responsibility of higher education for democratic culture • http://dc.ecml.at/ • Council of Europe Higher Education Series • http://www.coe.int/T/DG4/HigherEducation/Resources/HEseries_en.asp