4th Monitoring Report on Implementation of Belarus Roadmap for Higher Education Reform (Oct 2016-Jan 2017)

Belarusian Independent Bologna Committee (BIBC) and Ad Hoc Commission of Belarusian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) continue to monitor the Roadmap implementation and commissioned the analysis of what had been done by Belarusian authorities to fulfill its obligations. This report presents the findings that show where the country stands in terms of the Roadmap implementation. 

The process of the implementation of Belarus Roadmap for Higher Education Reform enters its critical phase. In 2017 all the Bologna commitments for higher education reform must be incorporated into the national legislation. 

Conclusions

The process of the implementation of Belarus Roadmap for Higher Education Reform enters its critical phase. In 2017 all the Bologna commitments for higher education reform undertaken by the Belarusian authorities in 2015 in Yerevan must be incorporated into the national legislation.

However, the government continuously postpones the submission of the draft legislative amendments to the Education Code and their review by the National Assembly. The proposal by the Ministry of Education concerning the legislative changes in accordance with the Roadmap is not in public assess and not available for public discussion. Based on the information from available sources, we can conclude that there is no significant progress in the Roadmap implementation especially in terms of the social dimension of higher education, academic values, establishment of independent quality assurance agency and others. This demonstrates a high risk that the Belarus Roadmap for Higher Education Reform will not be implemented on time and to the extent that was initially envisaged.

Recommendations to the European and Belarusian stakeholders of the Roadmap implementation process:

• To demand the public and open discussion of the Education Code amendments and other legal acts related to the higher education system reforms;
• To organise a transparent international expert evaluation of the legislative amendments prepared by the Belarusian government and their compatibility
  with the Roadmap provisions and requirements;
• To assist Belarus with the expertise related to incorporation of the Roadmap provisions into the national legislation.