Bologna Process: The importance of the Qualification Framework for teachers
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On 19 November 2020, 48 ministers of the Bologna Process countries will adopt the Rome Communiqué, a document that sets the main goals and challenges of the Bologna Process for the next decade.
In preparation of the ministerial meeting, ETUCE interviewed high-level representatives and experts of higher education and research trade unions on their views on the Bologna Process.
Ole Espen Rakkestad (Union of Education, Norway) is the ETUCE representative in the Working Group on the Qualifications Frameworks established by the Bologna Follow-up Group which is the promoter of the Bologna Process. Ole explains that the technical working group was related to the National Qualification Frameworks and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).
The group dealt with “Self-Certification” which verifies the complementarity of higher education degrees within the National Qualification to the rules of the Higher Education Area (EHEA)/Bologna Process. The self-certification process links to quality assurance. The second process is the so-called “Referencing” where countries’ National Qualification Frameworks are described according to levels of the European Qualification Framework. Despite its technical nature, the Qualification Frameworks has also relevant implications on the daily work of teachers as it is strictly related to the defining of learning outcomes, and qualification frameworks can guarantee academic freedom.