Raport România 2009 - 2012

to choose, please specify which ones. 2.1.2. If no, please go to section XVII. 2.2. Which conditions apply to the choice of a quality assurance agency from another country? The QA agencies within EQAR are not members of the EQAR, they are only listed in the EQAR, as this is only a tool designed to provide information on QA agencies that comply substantially the ESG 2.3. Please provide any additional relevant comments for consideration regarding Cross-Border Evaluation. 3. EVALUATION OF THE EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM AGAINST THE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE EUROPEAN HYIGHER EDUCATION AREA (ESG) 3.1. Has the agency been evaluated against the European Standards and Guidelines? Yes, for the purpose of ENQA membership Yes, for an application to EQAR Yes, independently of ENQA/EQAR Such an evaluation is planned but has not yet taken place No 3.2. If an evaluation has been conducted, was the application successful? Yes, the agency became full member of ENQA and shortly after, within the legal timeline, was listed into the EQAR 4. INVOLVEMENT OF STAKEHOLDERS IN EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE 4.1. Is there a formal requirement that students are involved in any of the following? For each answer, please specify the relevant source. Student involvement in agencies - By decision of the ARACIS Council, the students are represented within the governance structures of Council. Although they do not have voting rights, their opinions are taken into consideration. A national quality assurance legislative initiative aiming at modifying the relevant legislation in QA in Romania is to be agencies finalized, allowing students to have two representatives into the Council As full members in The ARACIS Methodology set by Government Decree, sets this principle external review teams As observers in external review teams In the preparation of self The ARACIS Methodology set by Government Decree, sets this principle evaluation reports In the decision making process for external reviews In follow-up procedures Other, please specify 4.2. Is there a formal requirement that international peers/experts are involved in any of the following: In governance structures of national QA agencies As full members in external review teams As observers in external review teams In the decision making process for external reviews In follow-up procedures Other (please specify) 4.3. Is there a formal requirement that academic staff are involved? In governance structures of national QA agencies As full members in external review teams As observers in external review teams In the preparation of self evaluation reports In the decision making process for external reviews In follow-up procedures Other (please specify) 4.4. Are there any formal requirements regarding the involvement of employers in external QA processes. The agency has a standing committee for the employers and uses external experts from the employers. 4.5. Please provide any additional relevant comments for consideration regarding the involvement of stakeholders in external QA. 5. INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE 5.1. Are there formal requirements for higher education institutions to develop internal quality assurance systems? 5.1.1. Please specify these requirements and the relevant source. Government Ordinance 75/2005, approved with modifications by Law 87/2006 - http://www.aracis.ro/uploads/media /Law_87_2006.pdf 5.2. Who is primarily responsible for deciding the focus of internal quality assurance processes? 5.2.1. Please specify. 5.3. Are there formal requirements for students to be involved in internal quality assurance systems? 5.3.1. Please go to Question 5.6. 5.3.2. Is there a requirement for students to be involved in the preparation of self evaluation reports? 5.3.2.1. Is there a requirement for students to be involved in decision-making as an outcome of evaluation? 5.4. How many higher education institutions have published a strategy/policy for the continuous enhancement of quality in the past 5 years? 5.5. How many higher education institutions have arrangements in place for the internal approval, monitoring and periodic review of programmes and awards? 5.5.1. Please describe what kind of arrangements are in place. Quality Assurance Departments (or Committees) at university level. 5.6. How many higher education institutions publish up to date and objective information about the programmes and awards offered? 5.7. How many higher education institutions publish critical and negative outcomes of quality assurance evaluations? 5.7.1. Please provide a source for this information, and links to examples of critical/negative evaluations. www.aracis.ro 5.8. Please provide any additional relevant comments for consideration regarding Internal Quality Assurance. For universities, Internal QA procedures were, at the beginning (2006-2007) quite slow becoming common practice in universities. In the last period, the results of the activity of the agency tend to have a more and more significant impact on the internal QA processes. For the agency itself, internal QA is an utmost priority. Recently, an improved internal QA procedure for ARACIS was approved by the Council and will become gradually fully operational. Part 1.4 BFUG Data Collection on Lifelong Learning 1. Do steering documents for higher education in your country contain a definition of lifelong learning? 2. How do your steering documents define lifelong learning? Lifelong learning represents all learning activities undertaken during the life of every person in formal, non-formal and informal training or skills development for a multiple perspective: personal, civic, social or occupational. Lifelong learning includes early education, school education, higher education, continuing education and training of adults. (National Law of Education nr 1/2011- art 328 (1), (2), (3)). 3. What is the common understanding of lifelong learning in your country? 4. What are the main forms of lifeling learning provision in which higher education institutions are involved in your country? Postgraduate training programs and professional development 5. Is lifelong learning a recognised mission of higher education institutions? 6. For which institutions is lifelong learning a recognised mission? 7. Are there legal requirements for higher education institutions to offer lifelong learning provision? 8. Please provide a reference to the relevant legislation or regulation. According to the Law no. 1 / 2011, postgraduate studies have been replaced with a new form of postgraduate training programs and professional development. According to the Order of Minister no. 3753/2011, the methodology for organizing and conducting these programs of study is in progress and will be completed by October 2011. 9. Are there legal restrictions or constraints for higher education institutions to offer lifelong learning provision? 10. Please explain these restrictions, and provide a reference to relevant legislation/regulations 11. Which are the three (maximum) most significant groups of intended users of lifelong learning services offered by higher education institutions? Adults in employment Unemployed adults Retired citizens Part-time students Adults without higher education qualifications  Other, please specify 12. Where does the funding of lifelong learning provision in higher education come from? general higher education budget special budget for lifelong learning private contributions from students private contributions from business and industry 13. To what degree is the provision of lifelong learning in higher education funded from the public budget? Up to now 0% Part 2.1 BFUG Data Collection on policies to widen participation and increase flexibiltiy 1. Do you want to answer this section now or later? 2. Do individuals that meet higher education entry standards have a guaranteed right to higher education? 2.1 Please specify. 3. Which statement best describes your country’s policy approach regarding the goal that the student body entering, participating and completing higher education should reflect the diversity of the population? 4. UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS 4.1. Please describe how your country’s steering documents define underrepresented groups (e.g. based on socio- economic status, gender, ethnicity, disability, geography, other). Law of Education No.1/2011 Art. 12 (2) The State grants social scholarships to school children and university students from disadvantaged families, as well as to those institutionalized, in compliance with the law. Art. 204 (1) Students coming from low income families benefit from a system of banking study loans, guaranteed by the state, under the conditions of the laws in force, through the Agency for Loans and Scholarship Grants. Loans may cover study taxes and the cost of life during the period of study. Art. 205 (2)[] orphan students or those coming from foster care benefit from free fare on the means of transport set by order of the Minister of Education, Research, Youth, and Sports. (6) Candidates coming from environments with high socioeconomic risk or socially marginalized Roma people, high school graduates in the rural environment or cities with less than 10,000 inhabitants may benefit from a number of guaranteed budgeted places, in compliance with the law. 4.2. For each of these groups, please briefly describe the national/regional policies and measures that are put in place to address under-representation. These may include, but are not restricted to laws, regulations, campaigns, incentives, other actions etc. Government Decision 769/2005 on granting scholarships to students living in rural areas, Government Decision 430/2001 regarding the approval of the Romanian Government to improve the situation of Rroma people, Government Decision 859/1995 for Social scholarships (criteria are made by each university based on guaranteed autonomy), Government Decision 1467/2008 for compensatory financial support for families involved in PetrilaCausalities. 4.3. How does your higher education system determine whether an individual belongs to a particular group (e.g. self-declaration)? Ethnic groups are identified based on self declaration; disadvantaged groups from rural areas are identified trough surveys with socio-economical focus and foster care pupils provide a registration proof from their institution. 4.4. Is there any funding reserved for measures to increase participation of under-represented groups? 4.4.1. Please specify. Scholarships dedicated for students coming from rural areas and Rroma minorities Financial aid is also offered for those coming from low socio-economic groups, those in foster care and Romanian ethnics from abroad belonging to ethnic minorities. They have accommodation subsidize as well. 4.5. Do you have national targets/goals for participation of those groups that you identify as under-represented in higher education? 1 4.5.1. Please explain these targets briefly and name the groups to which they apply. National targets are translated in terms of a financial aid with a quota defined for: Roma people, Romanian ethnics from abroad, orphan students or those coming from foster care. 4.6. Does your country offer more public funding to higher education institutions to stimulate access for underrepresented groups? 4.6.1. Please specify and identify variation between different groups, where they exist. There is a government fond which varies yearly according to the HEI requests and the decisions made by the National Council for Financing Higher Education. The new Law of Education (Art. 223) includes fund for student inclusion . (1) Public higher educational institutions operate as institutions financed with funds from the state budget, extra-budgetary incomes and other sources, in compliance with the law. (2) The incomes of such institutions are made of amounts allocated from the budget of the Ministry of Education, Research, Youth, and Sports, on a contractual basis, for the basing financing, complementary financing and supplementary financing, achieving investment objectives, funds allocated on a competitive basis for institutional development, for funds allocated on a competitive basis for inclusion, student scholarships and social protection, as well as from own incomes, interests, donations, sponsorship, and fees charged in compliance with the law, from Romanian or foreign natural persons am legal entities, as well as from other sources. Such incomes are used by higher educational institutions, under the terms of university autonomy, in order to achieve their objectives within the state policy on academic education and research. 4.7. Is the effect of measures to increase participation of each of the groups monitored in your country? 4.7.1. Please specify. Within HEI reporting process, reports are given twice a year by universities for all groups previously specified. 4.8. Please provide details on how the higher education participation and graduation of each of the groups that you identify as underrepresented is monitored in your country. The Ministry of education asks for reports on October 1st and January 1st. 4.8.1. What data is collected? See answer at question 4.2 (Part 2.1) 4.9. Is there a system to monitor the composition of the student body (in terms of groups identified as under- represented) by subject? Upcoming methodology 4.10. When are data generally collected? 4.10.1. Where an approach different from the general approach is used for any group, please specify. See answer at question 4.2 (Part 2.1) 4.11. Where is information provided by this monitoring system published (provide a reference and link)? Data are collected by National Council for HE Financing (CNFIS) and some data are published on web www.cnfis.ro. 5. GENERAL POLICY APPROACH TO WIDENING PARTICIPATION 2 5.1. If your country has a general policy approach to increase and widen participation and to overcome obstacles to access, please explain your approach briefly and provide reference to relevant documents. Governmental Decision 769/2005 on granting scholarships to students living in rural areas. Romanian Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sports offers a number of scholarships to students residing in rural areas who attend the full time programs of accredited institutions of higher education and undertakes that after graduation from university will practice in education rural area in that specialty were was prepared for a period at least equal to the period for which they received the scholarship. Governmental Decision430/2001 regarding the approval of the Romanian Government to improve the situation of Rroma people with the desire to improve the situation of national minorities in accordance with the Constitution of Romania, as demonstrated by the voluntary membership at the Council of Europe international instruments such as: Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, ECRI resolution no. 3, 1203 Recommendation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. 5.2. How does your country's policy explicitly identify the obstacles that it addresses? Partnerships with NGOs and National Institute of Statistics 5.3. What are the criteria used to measure and evaluate the success of specific initiatives and measures? Not applicable 5.4. In your country, is the composition of the student body monitored according to certain criteria? 5.4.1. Who monitors on the basis of which criteria? Upcoming methodology 5.5. How is this data used in higher education policy? See answer at question 5.4.1 (Part 2.1) 5.6. How are measures to remove obstacles to access primarily funded? If your country has a mixed system, please choose all adequate boxes. Please only indicate the most important source(s). From the general higher education budget From a specific budget From university budget There are no measures to remove obstacles to access 6. DIFFERENT APPROACH TO WIDENING PARTICIPATION 6.1. Please explain the characteristics of your country's policy to achieve the goal that the student body reflects the diversity of the population. 6.2. Does your country's policy approach explicitly identify obstacles to higher education? 6.2.1. Please describe these obstacles. 6.3. Does your country's policy approach make reference to parts/groups in the population? 3 6.3.1. Please describe these groups. 6.4. What measures does your country's policy take? 6.5. How does your country assess whether its policy has been successful? 7. COMPLETION OF STUDIES 7.1. Does your country have policies aiming to increase the level of completion of studies? 7.1.1. Please describe the main features of these policies. For Romania, the background analysis conducted at national level, involving representatives of Romanian Ministry of Education was established as a feasible a value of min. 26.7% for the indicator ”graduates of a form of tertiary education” by 2020. This policy is also according to one of the five main objectives in Europa Strategy 2020. 7.2. Are student completion rates monitored in your country? 7.2.1. What use is then made of the data? Upcoming methodology 7.3. Are there any incentives for higher education institutions to improve student complet