Authorities hope to join Bologna process without fulfilling basic requirements

First Education Deputy Minister Bogush said that the Education Ministry had sent a request to the Bologna Secretariat to join the Bologna process and gain access to the European Higher Education Area.

The Belarusian authorities’ position about the country’s accession to the Bologna process is controversial, but they are prompted to respond to community-based initiatives to join the EHEA hoping to make Belarusian education more attractive to international students. In 2012 Belarus made its first attempt to join the Bologna process, which failed and prompted her to make some ‘cosmetic’ changes to the higher education system. These changes however do not relate to such fundamental principles as academic freedom, institutional autonomy or student participation in administration of higher education.