Student Participation in Higher Education Institutions in Turkey

Abstract

After the 2001 meeting of the European Ministers of Education held in Prague, higher education institutions in Turkey took serious actions in order to implement the goals of the Bologna Declaration (1999). Arrangements made for the democratization of universities and student participation in the decision‐making process formed one of the predominant actions. The formal point of these arrangements – aimed at student involvement in the university governance process via Student Councils and their representatives, was prescribed by law and forced universities to comply with the process. The present research provides information about the legal arrangements in higher education institutions concerning student involvement in the university decision‐making process and the obstacles met within the course of application. In addition, it presents the findings of an empirical study related to student representation and involvement in governance through the agency of the Student Councils.

Notes

1. Full text available at <http://www.bologna‐berlin2003.de/pdf/Sorbonne_declaration.pdf>.

2. See the EDC project at <http://www.coe.int/T/E/Cultural_Co‐operation/education/E.D.C/>.