The Bologna process and higher education were the subjects of a debate attended by Slovenian and British education experts in Ljubljana on Wednesday aimed at exchanging experience.
The debate, organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, the British Council and the Centre for Mobility and European Education & Training Programmes, touched on experience in testing the quality of higher education, the introduction of a system of credits and common diplomas.
British Ambassador to Slovenia Hugh Mortimer said European countries were not striving to have one common model, but to achieve complementarity between education systems in different countries.
Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Jure Zupan said Slovenian universities should be reformed so that the qualifications of their graduates will be valued abroad.
He said the implementation of the Bologna process toped the ministry's agenda. The ministry will also make efforts to introduce a system to guarantee quality higher education and to provide free undergraduate and graduate education as the Bologna process is implemented. He also highlighted the need to make study programmes comparable to European ones.
A total of 0.52% of GDP is allocated for science and 0.79% of GDP for higher education in the Slovenian budget, according to Zupan, who believes this share should increase.
Bahram Bekhradnia, the head of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said the division of studies into three levels and the introduction of the system of credits were the most important elements of the Bologna process. Both elements are aimed at increasing mobility.
Ruth Thompson, who has been in charge of the British government's strategy on higher education since 2004, said study programmes must respond to the needs of students and employers. She said Britain decided to allocate more funds for research and additional funds for the encouragement of cooperation between higher education and the economy.
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