1. Recognition of qualifications: legislation, policy and practice Sjur Bergan Council of Europe Baku, April 2005

3. OUTLINE Why do we need recognition? What is it? How do we do it? How does it relate to the Bologna Process? What is the Lisboa Recognition Convention?

4. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION I Access Secondary school leaving certificate (theoretical strand) Problems Length of study Different profiles Non-traditional qualifications Distrust Learning outcomes?

5. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION II Two tier vs. one tier systems –But: Bologna –Qualifications framework Confusion as to terminology Specialized or general higher education Diversity of national systems –public vs. private –university vs. non-university Non-national qualifications Learning outcomes?

6. RECOGNITION Assess foreign qualification in term of own education system Make it possible to move between systems without losing value of qualifications

7. WHAT IS IN A QUALIFICATION? Quality –How assessed? Level –Three tier Workload –ECTS Learning outcomes Profile –Core, “supporting subjects”, electives

8. FAIR RECOGNITION Judge only value of qualification, not external factors Assess quality and level rather than detailed comparison of curricula If full recognition is not possible, partial recognition should be an alternative

9. RECOGNITION INSTRUMENTS Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention EU Directives on professional recognition Diploma Supplement ECTS Recommendation Criteria and Procedures National laws International good practice

10. Convention: Main Points Applicants entitled to fair assessment Recognize unless substantial difference Information on assessment of HE institutions and programs Emphasis on implementation International cooperation: ENIC Diploma Supplement

11. The Convention and Bologna Fair recognition promotes mobility Transparency and coherence –also: Criteria and Procedures Diploma Supplement and ECTS ENIC Network QA and institutional recognition External dimension “Non-national” qualifications/TNE

12. A FINAL THOUGHT Reasonable and predictable laws and regulations are necessary… …but how detailed ? Rule of law vs. an excess of legalism