EURYDICE Directorate-General for Education and Culture E u r o p e a n G European Glossary on Education lo s s a r Volume 5 y EURYDICE, the information network o n on education in Europe Ed Decision-making, Advisory, u c a tio Operational and Regulatory Bodies Eurydice is an institutional network for gathering, monitoring, processing and n , v circulating reliable and readily comparable information on education systems and olu in Higher Education policies throughout Europe. The Network focuses primarily on the way education in m e A Europe is structured and organised at all levels. Its publications output may be broadly 5 divided into descriptions of national education systems, comparative studies devoted to - D specific topics, and indicators and statistics. e c is Eurydice works mainly for those involved in educational policy-making nationally and ion - in the European Union institutions, as well as at regional and local levels. However, its m a publications may be consulted by anyone and are available both in print and over the k E in Internet. g , A d F K First launched by the European Community in 1980, the Eurydice Network consists v is of a European Unit set up by the European Commission in Brussels and National o r y Units established by education ministries in all countries taking part in Socrates, the , O p EU education action programme. Eurydice has been an integral part of Socrates e r a since 1995. The Network boosts European cooperation in education by developing t L io exchanges of information about systems and policies and producing studies on issues n a G common to education systems. l a n d Eurydice is a dynamic interdependent Network to whose work all Units contribute. R e T g The European Unit coordinates the activity of the Network, drafts and distributes most u of its publications, and designs and administers Eurydice databases and the central lat o website. National Units provide and are involved in processing the data on which this ry ÜV B activity relies and ensure that the output of the Network reaches target groups within o d their countries. In most countries, Units are situated within the education ministry. In a ie s few, however, they are located in library resource centres, or bodies for administration in P H and research. ig Q h e r EURYDICE on the Internet: http://www.eurydice.org Ed R u c a t io n European Commission EURYDICE European Glossary on Education Volume 5 Decision-making, Advisory, Operational and Regulatory Bodies in Higher Education Eurydice The information network on education in Europe This document is published by the Eurydice European Unit with the financial support of the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture). Available in English (European Glossary on Education. Volume 5: Decision-making, Advisory, Operational and Regulatory Bodies in Higher Education), French (Glossaire européen de l’éducation. Volume 5: Organes formels de décision, consultation, gestion et supervision dans l’enseignement supérieur) and German (Europäisches Glossar zum Bildungswesen. Band 5: Offizielle Entscheidungs-, Beratungs-, Verwaltungs- und Aufsichtsorgane in der Hochschulbildung). ISBN 92-79-04586-5. This document is also available on the Internet (http://www.eurydice.org). Text completed in December 2006. © Eurydice, 2007. The contents of this publication may be reproduced in part, except for commercial purposes, provided that the extract is preceded by a complete reference to ‘Eurydice, the information network on education in Europe’, followed by the date of publication of the document. Requests for permission to reproduce the entire document must be made to the European Unit. Eurydice European Unit Avenue Louise 240 B-1050 Brussels Tel. +32 2 600 53 53 Fax +32 2 600 53 63 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.eurydice.org Printed in Belgium Preface Every education system and national education policy uses its own specific terminology to describe the characteristics of its organisation and operation. In trying to understand and make reliable comparisons of how the various education systems in Europe really work, we are often confronted with questions of terminology. The development of precise ‘markers’ for reference purposes is thus absolutely essential for better mutual understanding and to encourage good quality communication in an enlarged Europe in which student and teaching staff mobility, as well as the openness of education and training systems to the world at large, are essential aims of cooperation. For these reasons, the Eurydice Network in 1999 launched a series entitled the European Glossary on Education. Four volumes have already been published. They are concerned respectively with examinations, qualifications and titles (a second edition appeared in 2004), educational institutions (a second edition appeared in 2005), teaching staff (2002) and management, monitoring and support staff (2003). This fifth volume covers national terms used to denote bodies with responsibilities in the area of decision-making, advisory, operational or regulatory duties, or responsibilities concerned with quality assurance, in higher education in all Member States of the European Union (except Ireland) and the EFTA/EEA countries (except Norway). Turkey which is also a member of the Eurydice Network did not contribute to this Glossary. The present volume belongs to a set of publications that Eurydice is producing in 2007 to provide greater insight into interrelated aspects of higher education. These publications are the 2007 edition of Focus on the Structure of Higher Education in Europe: following up the Bologna process (May 2007), Key Data on Tertiary Education (April 2007) and a study on governance in higher education (scheduled for the end of the year). A guide to the use of the Glossary is presented by way of introduction. It contains all relevant definitions and outlines the different aspects covered in the explanatory note on each term. This fifth volume is the result of very close cooperation between the Eurydice National Units and the Eurydice European Unit (EEU). The National Units provided the list of terms by country together with their explanatory notes, in accordance with a Guide to content. The material was then analysed by the EEU in consultation with individual National Units to improve the consistency and clarity of all terms and definitions. By making this Glossary available to all who attempt to compare, understand or translate terms specific to the field of education, the Eurydice Network hopes to make a further contribution to the greater transparency of education systems in Europe. Patricia Wastiau-Schlüter Head of the Eurydice European Unit February 2007 Decision-making, Advisory, Operational and Regulatory Bodies in Higher Education  Contents Preface 3 Introduction 7 User’s guide 9 Part I – Glossary 13 Part II – Summary tables 203 European Union • Belgium 205 • French Community 205 • German-speaking Community 206 • Flemish Community 207 • Bulgaria 208 • Czech Republic 209 • Denmark 211 • Germany 212 • Estonia 213 • Greece 214 • Spain 215 • France 216 • Italy 218 • Cyprus 220 • Latvia 222 • Lithuania 223 • Luxembourg 224 • Hungary 225 • Malta 226 • The Netherlands 227 • Austria 229 • Poland 230 • Portugal 231 • Romania 232 • Slovenia 233 • Slovakia 235 • Finland 236 • Sweden 237 • United Kingdom 238 EFTA/EEA countries • Iceland 240 • Liechtenstein 241 Acknowledgements 243 Decision-making, Advisory, Operational and Regulatory Bodies in Higher Education  Introduction The fifth volume of the European Glossary on Education consists of a compilation of national terms used to denote formal bodies whose remit relates primarily to higher education (ISCED 5 and 6) (1) in 28 education systems in Europe. It covers almost 770 national terms used during 2006. This glossary covers bodies with responsibilities in the area of decision-making, advisory, oper- ational or regulatory duties, or responsibilities concerned with quality assurance in higher education. Definition and scope of this Glossary For the purposes of this glossary, a formal body is defined as a public or private entity recognised in law by the public authorities. It has a specific role, responsibilities, functioning and constitution/mem- bership. It may be known as a board, council, institution, agency, etc. All bodies with responsibilities in fields directly linked to higher education (such as the curriculum, evaluation, accreditation, the training and conditions of service of teachers), bodies responsible for funding higher education including agencies for the award of financial support, and all course or study programme information services come within the scope of this glossary. Interest groups/unions constituted in formal bodies, such as teacher associations and unions, are covered only if they have a central/regional area of responsibility and are mainly concerned with higher education and consulted by policy-makers. All types of higher education (academic, professional, artistic, etc.) including adult education and distance education are covered. National terms denoting the ministry of education (and in certain cases the department within it responsible for higher education) or the ministry of higher education are the subject of separate entries, as are other ministries if they are fully responsible for certain branches of study in higher edu- cation (such as medicine, national defence and artistic studies). On the other hand, the names of ministries that share certain responsibilities with the ministry of education or of higher education (for example, the ministry of finance) do not appear as an entry in the glossary. A list of all ministries involved in such partnerships is included under the summary table in the second part of the publication. The Glossary does not include terms that denote the following: – bodies responsible for areas that have no direct link with educational activity and are instead focused on social, logistic or cultural aspects of education (such as student health, the organisation of transport, cultural life and sports activities); − centres and offices carrying out research into education (even if this is commissioned by the ministry); − the national offices of ENIC/NARIC (with the exception of those that deal with tasks related to higher education at national level in addition to their responsibilities linked to the network); (1) The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 97) is an instrument geared to the collection of statistics on education at international level. For further information on this classification, readers should visit http://portal.unesco.org − ISCED 5: This comprises programmes with a more advanced educational content than those offered at ISCED levels 3 and 4. Admission normally requires at least the satisfactory completion of ISCED level 3 or its equivalent. ISCED level 5 includes programmes with an academic emphasis (ISCED 5A) that are largely theoretically based and intended to provide sufficient qualifications for gaining entry into research programmes or professions with high skills requirements, and programmes of practical or technical training (ISCED 5B) that are generally shorter than the former and prepare for entry to the labour market. This level may also include adult education programmes. ISCED level 5 programmes correspond to studies leading to a first or second tertiary education degree. − ISCED 6: This level relates to tertiary education programmes which lead to the award of an advanced research qualification. Such programmes correspond to the second stage of tertiary education and, in most countries, to doctoral programmes. Decision-making, Advisory, Operational and Regulatory Bodies in Higher Education  − bodies in charge of providing statistical data in education; − educational institutions (2); − private foundations offering financial support; − external or joint examination boards or (internal or external) examination supervisory committees, even if constituted on the basis of state regulations; − working groups which are set up for a limited period only to deal with a specific problem or submit a report on a particular topic, and dissolved as soon as this activity comes to an end (unless the terms designating these groups are permanent and are not suppressed or modified even if the activity of a group and/or its composition changes). *** In order to ensure that the information may be readily accessed by a very wide range of readers, terms relating to formal bodies in higher education will be set out in two separate parts of the publication. In the first part, readers will find a list of all terms in alphabetical order. Only national terms, common acronyms and synonyms are included as entries in the alphabetical list. In addition to the explanatory note for a term, the information contained in each entry specifies the country, the most widespread grammatical variants of the term and the level of responsibility/area of the body concerned. There are three categories of administrative level/area of responsibility: central, regional, and insti- tutional. The second part will contain summary tables by country. The terms are classified by administrative level/area of responsibility of the body. English translations as well as the acronyms and synonyms of the national terms are provided after the term in the original language. A short description containing important details on specifically national characteristics is added under the summary table wherever this is helpful for a proper understanding of circumstances in a particular country. The list of ministries working in conjunction with the ministry of education as well as a list of useful website references are included under the summary table. The advantage of this dual structure is that it offers different routes of access to information. Readers who know a term but do not know what it means can search in the alphabetical list to find the name of the country, the administrative level/area of responsibility and the explanatory note. However, if, for example, they need to search for all the terms used in a given country to refer to the different formal bodies in higher education, they may consult the national summary table and can then return to the first part of the glossary for a fuller definition of each of the terms. (2) European Glossary on Education, volume 2, ‘Educational Institutions’ covers this subject.  European Glossary on Education − Volume 5 User’s Guide Comité National d’évaluation Country: France Level: Central Explanatory note: Independent administrative authority set up by law in 1984 to evaluate all public higher education institutions, including universities, ‘schools’ for higher education, and training institutes under the minister responsible for higher education. Publicly funded, this committee examines and evaluates all actions and means employed by institutions to implement their academic and educational policy in the fields of initial and continuing education and training, scientific and technological research and activity to publicise its findings, the promotion of culture and scientific and technical information, and international cooperation. The activities of the committee are detailed in a report submitted annually to the President of the Republic. Furthermore, it prepares a summary report on the state of higher education every four years, which is also forwarded to the President of the Republic. The committee consists of the following 25 members appointed by decree for a four-year non-renewable term: 19 French or foreign members representing the academic community; 4 French or foreign personalities highly qualified in the fields of economics and research; a member of the Conseil d’État (State Council); and a member of the Cour des Comptes (Court of Auditors). One of the members of the Comité National d’Évaluation is appointed by decree to chair the committee. Acronym: CNE. (http://www.cne-evaluation.fr) • National terms in the language of origin Each term recognised at national level is given in the nominative singular grammatical form, unless only the plural is used. The term is written in the official language of the country. Greek and Bulgarian terms are transcribed into the Roman alphabet with the term in the Greek or Cyrillic alphabet shown in brackets. Familiar or conventional names are included if they are widely used and well known. Common acronyms and synonyms of bodies have an entry of their own with a cross-reference to the main term. • Grammatical variants This heading covers the grammatical variants of each term (declined and plural forms, with the exception of those in English and French which involve only the addition of -s), indicating the main forms that the term may take in a text. These associated terms make it possible to find entries and the definition of a term even if the spelling is not identical with that of the generic term. In languages which use a large number of grammatical forms, such as Finnish or Hungarian, only the root of the word is indicated and marked with an asterisk (*), so that the reader can identify and recognise the invariable part of the word. One or two examples of the main declensions may be indicated. • Levels (area) of responsibility This indicates a geographical and/or administrative level (central, regional, institutional) in the case of public bodies and a geographical area of responsibility (central or regional) in the case of associations and interest groups. • Explanatory notes The explanatory notes provide a definition of the body with a brief description of its main characteristics (‘Legal and administrative framework’, ‘Functions and procedures’, ‘Constitution/internal organisation’). Some specific terms needed to understand the context fully have been kept in the original language with a translation into the language of the glossary. Decision-making, Advisory, Operational and Regulatory Bodies in Higher Education