The Position of the Colleges in the Higher Education Reform Programme in Hungary with special regard

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The Position of the Colleges in the Higher
Education Reform Programme in Hungarywith
special regard to the Bologna Process

• Compiled by Árpád Balogh, István Bilik and
  József Roóz

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• The Hungarian Higher Education system has a
  binary character it is composed of university-
  and college-type of education. These types of
  education may be conducted by Universities and by
  Colleges, offering MSc and BSc degrees from
  university-side, but offering BSc and in much
  lesser amount of MSc from college-side.
• The Hungarian HE System itself is a bit
  complicated there are state and non-state
  universities with or without college faculties,
  there are state and non-state financed mono- and
  multi-faculty colleges. Among the non-state
  institutions we may distinguish church-driven and
  private/foundationaire universities and colleges.
  

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• The current Hungarian HE landscape consists of
• 14 (18) state universities
• 24 state-university college-faculties
• 1 church university college faculty
• 5 church universities
• 12(13) state colleges
• 19 church colleges
• 9 private/foundationaire colleges

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24 college faculties
1 college faculty
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Just after the political/economical change, in
the end of eighties, new schools appeared in the
HHE landscape universities and colleges
established by churches and foundations.
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• According the HE Act of 1993
• A college may be established and may operate if
  it is suitable
• a/for at least three-year basic college
  education,
• b/for conducting research activity, and if
• c/its college professors possess doctoral (Ph.D.)
  degrees.
• One can already find some references to the
  post-secondary vocational education, too
• Higher education institutions may conduct
  school-type and non school-type specialist
  education.

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• In the modified HE Act of 1996
• According this a college may be established, if
  it can teach in minimum two disciplines an in
  several branches.
• As to the AHEVT concerned
• Higher education institutions may conduct higher
  vocational education organised within the
  school-system according to the National
  Qualification Register in compliance with their
  education profile after an accreditation
  prescribed by this act.
• As to the mobility of the system?
• ...if the possibility for continuing education on
  college or university level is assured by the
  higher education institution within its own
  framework, and one third of the knowledge
  obtained in the higher vocational education may
  be transferred to college or university credit.

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• in the modified HE Act of 1999, as to the AHEVT
• this kind of education may be conducted in full
  time courses and in other forms (e.g. evening
  courses, correspondence courses, distance
  education)
• AHEVT can be conducted in Colleges, Universities
  or in secondary schools under the control of a HE
  Institute
• a certificate testifying higher professional
  qualification obtained in AHEVT within the school
  system may, according to professional
  requirements, be acquired in education lasting at
  least two years (while three/four years in
  colleges, and five/six years in universities)
• the higher education institution may issue a
  certificate testifying a qualification listed in
  the National Qualification Register after the
  successful completion of a professional
  examination in AHEV T
• theoretically it offers the possibility the
  access into a HE Institution, using a half of the
  credits gained during the two years.

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• In the middle nineties a struggle started between
  colleges and universities for the students.
• Because of their more flexibility the colleges
  gained a big number of students especially in the
  fields of complementary education in the
  corresponding, evening and distance learning.
• Moreover the HE Governance decided to increase
  the engagement of the age cohort from the current
  value of 30 in ten years to 50, and this
  surplus is expected to go to the colleges in
  normal or AHEVT fields.
• This are plans only, because the creating of the
  financial background has not yet been started.

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• The next big step in the reform programme was
  described in the further modification of the HE
  Act on the Transformation of the Network of
  Higher Education Institutions..
• The Nr. of state financed institutions
  significantly decreased former independent
  colleges and universities had been transformed
  into faculties of universities or colleges.
• The HE Governance offered some well defined
  support for the merging institutions, the support
  was expected from the World Bank loan the
  merging process had been accomplished and one
  year later the Government cancelled the loan.

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• Here we would like to deal with the credit
  system, because it can be considered as a tool
  for the inside/outside mobility, and for the
  mobility between the College and University
  spheres.
• Unfortunately there are bed straws in the wind
  the teaching requirements were not conform with
  the credit requirements either in one sphere
  inside or between the University and College
  spheres. Although the HE Governance as well as
  the HE Institutions wanted to support and
  financed the mobility, it would need minimum one
  year for a satisfactory solution of the problem.
• And on the other hand the different formula based
  financing also created a big obstacle in this
  way the system is insufficient for maintaining
  and following the way of a student going from one
  to other institutions.

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• The Bologna Declaration exerted influence on the
  HHE reform programme. Both Conferences creat-ed
  their own Bologna Committee, but this subject was
  discussed by the Ministry of Education, by the
  Hungarian Accreditation Committee and by the
  Higher Education and Research Council there was
  a danger ahead, too many cooks spoil the broth.
• The main scope of the discussion is the question
  which kinds of institutions will be allowed to
  offer BSc degrees, the Universities or the
  Colleges ? Although a solution of the problem is
  quite far, both spheres seem to take into
  consideration the significant differences between
  the academic and praxis oriented education.

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• .the formula based financing.
• For the time being there are altogether seven
  category-levels for the different branches in the
  University and in the College education.
• It will be a great dilemma if both spheres would
  be allowed to offer BSc degrees, nobody could be
  able to explain why the University-offered BSc is
  more expensive than those offered by colleges.
• Although the HE Governance fully convinced about
  the urgency and importance of the solution of
  this contradiction, it has not been done any
  steps in the direction of a satisfactory solving.
  

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• The European University Association, which
  involves more than 500 Universities, some of them
  have college-faculties and 30 Rectors
  Conferences, opened its door for the Colleges
  and College organisations, suggesting that both
  sphere should contribute to build up the
  EHEA/ERA.
• But on the other hand, just its plenary meeting
  in April in Roskilde, they declared, that the
  Colleges may be only partners in discussions but
  not in the decisions.
• This disparity does not support a Europe-wide
  collaboration between the two spheres.

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• The world-wide college organisation, the World
  Conference of Colleges and Polytechnics envisaged
  to create a World Forum for the
  Colleges-Polytechnics, but mainly for the
  American-type of community colleges, which do
  not belong to the HE, because only offer, after 4
  semester a professional qualification. Although
  that kind of education very popular on the
  American Continents and in Australia, it is
  practically incomparable with the European type
  of Colleges, offering BSc degree after a 3-4
  years long learning process. The European
  Colleges are scarcely represented in the World
  Conference. If a European College organisation
  can be formed, it would be worthwhile to set up a
  closer co-operation.

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• We expect that EURASHE
• will be grown up into a Europe-wide organisation
• will evolve all kinds of tertiary non university
  HE
• will be able to play an equal role in building up
  the EHEA and ERA with EUA and other HE
  organisations
• will be an equal partner of the World Conferences
  of Colleges and Polytechnics.

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Thanks for your attention