Tórshavn, the 27th October 2019

 

This statement is directed at the Government (Landsstýrið) and Parliament (Løgtingið) of the Faroe Islands.

 

NOM has noted that in its Coalition Agreement (samgonguskjalið) the newly formed government has made implementation of the Bologna Process a priority in its education policy platform.

 

This is good news – and a priority that has been a long time coming.

In 2014 a committee of experts conducted a review of Quality Assurance at the  University of the Faroe Islands (Fróðskaparsetur Føroya). This was the first – and thus far the only – review of Quality Assurance in higher education in the Faroe Islands. In its conclusion, the committee wrote:

 

”The work with implementing the Bologna Process should continue and steadily intensify as the necessary resources can be secured. This is important, not least with regards to the mobility of the students.“

 

In 2016 the Faroe Islands signed The Nordic Declaration on Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education (Reykjavík Declaration), an agreement between the Nordic countries which seeks to increase student mobility in higher education in the Nordic region. The Reykjavík Declaration in parts rests on the mutual understanding, that the signatory countries have ratified the Bologna Process. The Faroe Islands has still not implemented the Bologna Process to its full extent which complicates the mutual understanding in the Reykjavík Declaration.

 

It is of crucial importance that education is seen as an investment. Investment in education is not only a key component in short term economic and social development, but it is also an investment in the prosperity and quality of life of future generations The transfer of knowledge, that takes place within the higher education community, is essential for the development and the necessary edification needed in a democracy. Therefore, it is the responsibility of any acting government, and the implementation of the Bologna Process is thus a vital step towards a better and more prosperous society.

 

While there is room for improvement in the Bologna Process, especially in terms of its implementation in microstates, the Bologna Process has been named one of the most influential educational reforms ever. It has 48 participating countries and in a European educational environment where almost every country agrees to the same standards, it can have drawbacks to remain an outsider.

 

It is therefore of vital importance that the Faroe Islands speeds up and finishes the process of developing a system that is fully compatible with the European standards.

 

Some of the constituent elements of the Bologna Process have already been implemented, but vital elements have still not been implemented (e.g. implementation of the European Standard Guidelines, the implementation of a National Qualification Framework and de facto implementation of internal quality assurance and external evaluation at the University of the Faroe Islands).

 

NOM therefore calls on the Government and Parliament of the Faroe Islands to:

-      Acknowledge the economic and social importance of higher education.

-      Make investment in higher education a priority.

-      Honour their commitment to implement the Bologna Process in the Faroe Islands.

-      To work closely with MFS – the National Union of Faroese Students – in this regard.

 

On behalf of the students we represent:

Denmark – Danske Studerendes Fællesråd, DSF

Estonia – Eesti Üliõpilaskondade Liit, EÜL

Faroe Islands – Meginfelag Føroyskra Studenta, MFS

Finland – Suomen opiskelijakuntien liitto / Finlands studerandekårers förbund, SAMOK

Finland – Suomen ylioppilaskuntien liitto, SYL / Finlands studentkårers förbund, FSF

Greenland – Ilisimatusartut Kattuffiat, ILI ILI

Greenland – Organisationen af Grønlandske studerende i Danmark, AVALAK

Iceland – Landssamtök íslenskra stúdenta, LÍS

Latvia – Latvijas Studentu apvienība, LSA

Lithuania – Lietuvos studentų sąjunga, LSS

Norway – Norsk studentorganisasjon, NSO

Sweden – Sveriges förenade studentkårer, SFS

 

 

Nordisk Ordförande Möte (NOM) is a network for cooperation in higher education between National Unions of Students from the Nordic and Baltic Countries. NOM was founded in 1946 in Aarhus, Denmark. Today, 12 National Unions of Students (NUS) are members of NOM, an effective network for regional cooperation on issues of education.