Policy borrowing and transfer, and policy convergence: justifications for the adoption of the Bologna Process in the CEMAC region and the Cameroonian higher education system through the LMD reform

Abstract

The borrowing and transfer of policies, ideas and practices from one system to another may in part explain the convergence of educational systems. Using text documents as research material, this paper examines the adoption and transfer of Bologna Process (BP) ideas in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and in the Cameroonian higher education (HE) system through the lens of policy borrowing and transfer, and policy convergence, in order to understand the justification for such transfer at the local level. In 1999, in what is known as the BP, 29 ministers of HE signed the Bologna Declaration with the intention of creating a European HE area. In 2005, the heads of state of the CEMAC region signed the Libreville Declaration with the intention of creating the CEMAC Space for Higher Education, Research and Professional Training through licence, master and doctorat reform. The justification for the adoption of BP ideas in the CEMAC region was attributed to the convergence of educational systems. The need to legitimise the harmonisation of the degree structure and to adhere to international standards for international recognition of certificates and graduates was found to be the major justification for the reform in the Cameroonian HE system. This paper draws attention to two aspects: first, how the BP, a European model of harmonisation, has spread beyond Europe and is influencing reforms in other parts of the world, including Africa; and second, how borrowed models are justified at the local level.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Professor Risto Rinne, Dr Johanna Kallo and Suvi Jokila for reading and providing comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. I would also like to acknowledge Dr Johanna Kallo's contribution in the selection of the theoretical framework and the methodology used in this article.

Notes on contributor

Elizabeth Agbor Eta holds a Maîtrise in English Literature from the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon and a Master's degree in Social Sciences (Institutions and Social Mechanisms) from the University of Turku, Finland. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning and Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Turku, Finland.