The Impact of the Bologna Process on the Development of the Greek Quality Assurance System

Abstract

Greece, an EU‐member state since 1981, lagged behind other European countries in the development of a national quality assurance system. This article charts the route to the establishment of a quality assurance system in Greece. While national evaluation and accreditation systems were established in most European countries during the mid‐1980s and 1990s, any attempt of assessing the quality of education and research or other services provided by Greek higher education institutions and of rendering social accountability for the public resources that they received, was considered a threat to their autonomy. Moreover, while Greece was a signatory state of the Bologna Declaration, the Bologna Process has been ‘demonised’ and the commitments concerning quality assurance remained a dead letter. However, it was the Bologna Process that led to the national quality assurance system being established by law in 2005, close to the Bergen Ministerial Conference. The stocktaking exercise played a key role in this development not only in the case of Greece but also for some other South East European countries.

Keywords:

• quality assurance
• Greek higher education
• Bologna Process
• stocktaking exercise

Notes

[1] The first version of this paper was announced at the 2nd Athens International Conference on University Assessment, Assessing Quality, in Athens on 12–14 October 2007, under the title ‘The Bologna Process and its impact on the development of the Hellenic Quality Assurance System. See http://quality.hau.gr/pages/key_abstracts.htm#Asderaki_abs

[2] There are two technical universities in Greece, the National Technical University of Athens and the Technical University of Crete, which are different from the technological institutions. There are also schools of engineering in several universities such as the University of Thessaloniki, of Patras, of Thessaly. They offer five‐year study programmes that lead to professions such as engineer, architect, civil engineer. The technological institutions offer four‐year study programmes that do not meet licensing requirements for engineers as issued by the Technical Chamber of Greece.

[3] As you set out for Ithaca

  hope your road is a long one,

  full of adventure, full of discovery.

  Laistrygonians, Cyclops,

  angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:

  you’ll never find things like that on your way

  as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,

  as long as a rare excitement

  stirs your spirit and your body.

  Arriving there is what you’re destined for

  wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,

  not expecting Ithaca to make you rich.

  Kavafis, Ithaka