Swiss stay on course with Bologna reforms

Students face tough decisions when choosing courses Keystone

Switzerland says it is making great progress in carrying out a set of Europe-wide higher education reforms, known as the Bologna Declaration.

The aim of the reforms is the creation of a European Higher Education Area by 2010 – with qualifications being put on an equal footing from Lisbon to Vladivostok.

Speaking shortly after last week’s Bologna Conference in the Norwegian city of Bergen, Charles Kleiber, state secretary for education and research, said that European education ministers were positive about how the reforms were developing.

The European Union’s Bologna Declaration, which was set up in 1999, is aimed at harmonising degrees across the continent and encouraging study abroad.

The conference, which was attended by Swiss Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin, was held to assess the scheme at its halfway stage.

Kleiber added that around half of students in the 45 participating countries were graduating from the new-style courses.

These are made up of two stages: three years for a Bachelor’s degree and two additional years for a Master’s degree.

Study continuation

Kleiber said Switzerland was among the most advanced countries, with more than half of students choosing a Bachelor’s course.

According to government figures released last month, almost nine out of ten students who obtained a Bachelor’s degree – 88 per cent – have chosen to continue their studies.

The rate of those continuing to a Master’s degree is almost 100 per cent in the case of law students, while eight out of ten economics students are carrying on.

The number of students beginning studies leading to a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree has practically doubled since last year.

There are currently 22,000 people studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Switzerland and 4,000 aiming for a Master’s degree.

Student opinion

However, Pierre-Antoine Bonvin, president of the Union of Students in Switzerland, was less positive. “We’re ahead but only because the reforms were imposed from above without any democratic debate whatsoever,” he told swissinfo.

“Parliament said nothing about Bologna and students weren’t informed. They have only recently started to react – when the first consequences started to be felt on their studies.”

Bonvin said that the students’ greatest fear was economic.

“Many students stop studying after their Bachelor’s because they have fewer possibilities to earn extra money now that the courses are more academic and with more hours of study than before.”

“It is a fact that the faculties whose courses are already very structured and academic have been messed up less [by the reforms].”

Gradual conversion

In autumn Swiss higher education establishments are to begin introducing Bachelor degrees. Masters degrees are due to follow in 2008.

And in 2006 Switzerland will be the first country to introduce the Bologna system for medicine courses.

According to Susanne Obermayer from the Swiss Bologna coordination team, from the academic year 2006-7 all first-year students in Switzerland will study under the new Bachelors/Masters system.

In Switzerland – unlike most other countries – the responsibility for implementing the reforms lies with the schools and their committees.

The Swiss government has so far provided SFr30 million ($24 million) towards the scheme.

swissinfo with agencies

Key facts

The Bologna Declaration of 1999 aims to create a European Higher Education Area by 2010.
The new university courses are in two stages: three years for a Bachelor’s degree and two additional years for a Master’s degree.
In 2004 the universities awarded 1,057 Bachelor’s degrees.
The next Bologna Conference is in London in 2007.