Raport România 2003

doctorate activity, finalized by the granting of the title of doctor in science, for which only master s graduates are eligible. Status of the implementation of the Diploma Supplement Romania has signed the Lisboa Convention, April 1997, on recognition of qualifications obtained in the higher education and has ratified this document through Law no. 172/02.10.1998. Section IX, art. IX.3 stipulates the promotion of the Administrative appendix to the diploma, namely the Diploma Supplement. Having regard to the Lisboa Convention, the joint Declaration of the European ministers of education in Bologna on July 19, 1999, the recommendations of the Council of Ministers of the EU from May 6, 1996, as well as those of the European Commission and UNESCO on transparency in view of academic and professional recognition, the Minister s Order (no.3659/20.04.2000) introduced, upon request, the administrative appendix to the diploma, the unique European model. Based upon this order, any graduate may require the emission of the Diploma Supplement and each accredited university has at its disposal the required form and instructions for filling the form. The transferable credit system The organization of the education process using the transferable credit system has begun during the 1998/1999 academic year. This mode of organization makes possible the use of an analytical evaluation system of the time and effort necessary to carry on activities composing the education process. Moreover, it has advantages both for the mode of organization and its management, and for its validation with the education process in other universities in Romania and abroad. Granting the credit points attributed for one subject is conditioned by successfully passing this subject. The minimum passing grade is 5, on a scale from 1 to 10, and, once obtained, the student is granted the number of credit units attributed to the subject. Sucessfully passed subject are recognized in any case. In the case of DEA and Master s the finalization is through a Dissertation, where the minimum passing grade is 6,00. Starting with the academic year 1998/1999, universities offer distance education. Students enrolled in this form of training have the same education plan as those from day 6 courses. Exceptionally, for the students enrolled in the distance education system, the accumulation of the 120 credit points corresponds to the first and second year of study and, respectively the third and fourth years of study and a minimum 6,00 grade average ; it can be achieved in three years, provided that a minimum 40 credit points is obtained at the end of each academic year. The maximum number of transferable credit points in ECTS is set by the Council of each faculty. If a student follows study periods in other universities/faculties (domestic and/or abroad), according to the regulations set by each Teaching Board, the credits obtained will be recognized by the home faculty. Within short-term (3 years for day-courses) and long-term university education programmes (4-6 years, day courses), the volume of activities organized by education is assessed by credits, and the quality of the results is assessed by grades/ratings. The total number of credits associated to a university education programme, set by government decision (HG nr.693/2003), is 180, 240, 300 or 360, corresponding to the duration of studies, 3, 4, 5 or 6 years day courses, and respectively, one year more for night courses, with reduced frequency or distance education. Thus, a year of day course study has an average of 60 credits. At this stage, there are several activities carried on with a view to improving education plans in order to ensure a full compatibility of the national credit system with the European transferable credit system (ECTS). Higher education quality assurance The system of higher education quality assurance is undergoing a process of clarification and finalization. The Ministry of Education, Research and Youth is financing CALISRO, a research programme on the quality of higher education in Romania, which constitutes the basis for the structuring bodies responsible for ensuring quality at the level of institutions and at national level. Thus, each higher education institution is responsible for ensuring quality for all activities and at all levels, in agreement with the standards of reference, which are being updated. Each higher education institution has created or is finalizing its own, internal system of quality management. The quality management system within the higher education institution has as its objective the internal processes for assuring quality, including self-evaluation at every level, in agreement with the standards of reference, including the requirements of the systems of external evaluation of quality. The National Council for Academic Evaluation and Accreditation (CNEAA) functions since 1993 in agreement with the Law on education no. 84/1995, republished and Law no. 88/1993 on the accreditation of higher education institutions and the recognition of diplomas, republished. Aside from the CNEAA there are commissions for the external evaluation of higher education institutions in view of a temporary functioning authorization and of a later accreditation. Up until now, the Council has been responsible according to the law for assuring the quality of higher education, and this was one of its well defined missions. Due to the fact that up until now the CNEAA has focussed mainly the activity of evaluation in view of temporary authorization and accreditation, the assurance of the quality of current education processes, of research and management have been slightly neglected. In order to revitalize preoccupations in view of the creation of systems of quality in the higher education, a comprehensive pro-quality action has been promoted since 2001. This action was also supported by the MATRA programme. The main idea of the Ministry of Education, Research 7 and Youth was that a real policy for assuring quality cannot be implemented without a pro- quality culture, without concrete actions promoted from lower to higher level. Following the results obtained also by the CALISRO research programme, a normative act is under preparation, an act related to the creation of a national system on the assurance of quality of higher education, through the creation of a national structure in the field in charge of managing the whole process. Basically, it will define the general framework, promote advanced European systems of quality assurance, disseminate the best practices in the country and abroad. The newly created structure will cooperate with higher education institutions in Romania and abroad, as well as with other European institutions, in order to support the efforts of assuring quality of higher education in Romania at the level of EU requirements. International student mobility Romanian universities are adapting rather rapidly to more efficient forms of international co-operation. We can mention: • Trans-frontier student exchanges between various higher education institutions, for short- term study visits or practical activities, on the basis of bilateral agreements; • International student mobility based upon institutional agreements or the affiliation to various university networks, with the recognition of the study periods by use of compatible transferable credit systems; • Involvement of Romanian university departments or teachers in the offering of transnational higher education including joint training programs, programs typical to virtual universities, to other types of institutions involved in e-learning etc. • Teaching staff exchange in the field of education and research, in order to cover an existing need in the field at the host university or to offer aid in the development of new syllabi, new support for learning, new technologies of teaching and learning etc; • The creation of programs for granting joint degrees on the basis of an agreement between a Romanian university and a foreign university, with the observance of the rules existing in each one of the participating countries. Student and teaching staff exchange programs were set beginning with 1991 within the TEMPUS program between Romanian universities and universities in EU countries. Starting with the academic year 1990/1991, several Romanian universities have offered complete study programs in foreign languages like English, French and German, along with the education in Romanian. The teaching staff and the support material for learning have been prepared with technical assistance from partner universities in Great Britain, France or Germany and with financial support from the TEMPUS program. A synthetic overview of the actual status of mobility within the TEMPUS projects shows a massive participation of teaching staff and students (Table 3). Table 3. Number of mobilities in the Tempus program (1991-1997) Participants in the mobility program Number Teaching staff from Romania 6806 Teaching staff coming to Romania 4749 Students from Romania 5040 Foreign students coming to Romania 802 Total participants 17397 8  The National Office for Student Grants Abroad was created in January 1998. It manages grants through which the Government of Romania supports Romanian students, in order to study abroad for relatively short periods of time (2 to 10 months). Grants are financed by the budget managed by the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth. Furthermore, the Office manages grants set through bilateral agreements in the field of higher education. Higher education institutions in Romania have been involved in SOCRATES and LEONARDO da VINCI programs starting 1997. After 1998, over 9,000 students were granted mobilities within the ERASMUS program. During the academic year 2002/2003 45 universities participated in ERASMUS activities, involving approximately 2,400 students (Table 4). At the same time, a significant number of students from various EU countries have studied in Romania (Table 5). Table no.4. Dynamics of participants in the Erasmus Program Number of teaching Number of institutions Number of students staff 1998-1999 30 1250 958 1999-2000 32 1497 1044 2000-2001 40 2000 1897 2001-2002 45 2110 2020 2002-2003 45 2400 - Total - 9257 Table no. 5. Dynamics and structure of foreign students coming to Romania through the ERASMUS program, by countries (1998-2002). Year/Country BE DE GR ES FR IR IT NL AT PT FI SE UK 1998/1999 112 240 16 69 62 3 132 63 27 37 10 12 61 1999/2000 143 300 25 84 118 11 183 69 32 61 23 36 88 2000/2001 126 345 27 76 161 8 209 63 28 76 21 26 82 2001/2002 127 297 61 187 694 13 253 60 28 78 18 34 76 In the case of the Leonardo da Vinci programme, universities have promoted mainly pilot projects or mobility projects, and have shown a constant interest for the quality of professional training specifically in the technical field and the correlation with essential features of the European labour market. The Black Sea Universities network was created in 1997 upon a Romanian initiative in order to develop co-operation among universities from member states of the Economic Co- operation of the Black Sea area, in the field of education, science and culture. Today, this network, whose permanent Secretariat is at Constanta (and which has the support of the Government of Romania through the Government s Decision 196/2003) include over 60 member universities. 9  Starting with 1998 Romanian universities have taken part in projects developed within the CEEPUS Programme (Central European Exchange for University Students Programme). This programme supports universities to create networks consisting of at least three universities from various countries in order to promote student mobility for full academic studies, master s and doctorate programmes, as well as to promote exchanges between teaching staff and researchers. After 1998, over 1500 students and teaching staff have been involved in such exchange programmes. During the 2002/2003 academic year, 16 universities have taken part in 18 such networks. Foreign students who wish to study in Romania are admitted in higher education institutions provided that they pay tuition fees, without entrance contest, if they prove to have the qualification necessary for access to higher education in their home country. Before starting the programmes, they must take Romanian language classes. Aside from the study programmes in Romanian, there are increasingly more programmes offered in foreign languages, especially in English. If a foreign student has started a programme in his/her home country or in another country he/she may continue it in Romania, after recognition of his/her diplomas and after an analysis of the segment of programme followed. The National Council for Recognition of Diplomas, a structure affiliated to the networks ENIC/NARIC, functions within the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth and it is in charge of the recognition of diplomas. The European dimension of the Romanian higher education The reform of Romanian higher education, awaited by Romanian young people and imposed after 1989 by the transition from centralized economy to market economy, represented the construction of a higher education system as compatible as possible with the European educational space. Basically, this coordinate means the introduction of the general European model in the Romanian higher education, as a way of ensuring interaction between Romanian and European academic milieus. The promotion of the European dimension of higher education was possible through an intense cooperation and direct international contacts between Romanian universities and European institutions, international organizations and bodies. The implementation of European programmes has had positive effects on academic structures and curricula, as well as on the new vision of the mission of higher education, including the means of fulfilling this mission. The efforts of making the Romanian system compatible with the European ones included the elaboration of the List of fields and reference specializations (promoted by Government Decision no. 1336/2001 and updated by Government s Decision no. 682/2003), which increased the area of competence of graduates, ensured a better insertion of universities in the social, economic and cultural life, and eliminated some deficiencies in the process of authorization/accreditation. The European dimension of higher education in Romania was promoted by foreign languages study programmes (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian or Russian). These programmes are mandatory in all universities at university level. Both Romanian and foreign students studying in Romania can attend these courses. Government s Decision no. 41/2002 encourages the organization, within specializations accredited in Romanian language, of activities in foreign languages, including complementary study programmes or study directions, with the approval of the senate of the higher education institutions. 10  Departments of foreign languages were created, at university level in many technical, medical, exact sciences or humanistic universities. Young Romanians as well as young people from abroad study in those departments. The training of teachers for teaching foreign languages in universities and their further- training was ensured through the participation in international programmes of the « teacher training » type. The teaching staff perfected in their own field of activity through international programmes, as well as university managers who faced a new type of university management, which ensures transparency and efficiency to higher education. Mandatory foreign language tests were included for the degree/diploma examination, for admission to doctoral post-graduate studies and various research programmes. Students and young academics from