Th&ma 2022-1

TH MA themahogeronderwijs.org
freedom and other fundamental values in higher education
come up in debates.
But is it true that we should not be concerned? The short
answer is no. Our false sense of security comes from two
false impressions: (1) that infringements on fundamental
values in higher education only occur in non-democratic
states and (2) a narrow conception of Europe that leads us to
forget we operate in the broader EHEA.
First, respect for fundamental values in higher education
is not only a problem of non-democratic states, but also of
democracies. In Turkey, there are reports of ‘torture, prison
and job dismissals to silence academia’. In Hungary, gender
studies as a programme of study was denied accreditation
because it does not produce the right kind of knowledge, the
parliament voted to transfer control of 11 state universities
to foundations led by allies of prime minister Viktor Orbán,
and other universities had their autonomy revoked (as is the
case of University of Theater and Film Arts) or were threatened
with closure and had to move (as is the case of Central
European University). Even in the Netherlands, research
from ScienceGuide indicated that around 43 per cent of scientists
received threats after making a public appearance.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Infringements
on fundamental values have been increasingly
reported in advanced democracies such as France or the
United Kingdom, warranting the conclusion that ‘democracy
is in recession, academic freedom is in danger’. Even
if you find such headlines exaggerated, the COVID-19 pandemic
has made it blatantly obvious that there is an erosion
of respect for expertise.
Second, the false sense of security when it comes to respect
for fundamental values comes from a narrow conception
of Europe. The European Higher Education Area, an outcome
of the intergovernmental Bologna Process started in
1999, currently has 49 member states. Its borders extend
from Reykjavik to Vladivostok and from North Cape to
Ankara. In the EHEA we have set up a common structure
of degrees and adopted common standards and guidelines
for quality assurance to make our higher education systems
In Turkey, there are
reports of ‘torture,
prison and job dismissals
to silence academia’
‘Problems of academic
freedom or institutional
autonomy do not
stay within borders’
more compatible and comparable. All with the purpose
‘to increase staff and students’ mobility and to facilitate
employability’, as the landing page of the EHEA reminds
us. And we are sending our staff and students abroad in
higher education systems that do not get an A on academic
freedom and are thereby potentially putting them at risk.
When we engage in transnational collaboration through
teaching, learning, research, or institutional partnerships,
we are supposed to take notice of realities across the EHEA,
and then they are not so far anymore but at arm’s length.
Problems of academic freedom or institutional autonomy do
not stay within borders, they spill over. Think of the return
of ‘flying universities’ that first appeared in 19th-century
Poland. In recent years, universities such as the Central
European University and the European Humanities University
have had to move to other EHEA member countries
after being ousted from Hungary and Belarus, respectively.
Think of institutional partnerships we develop with universities
that operate in countries where academic freedom
and integrity are not a reality. Think of Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine and the manifold repercussions this has had on the
academic community and all aspects of higher education
cooperation.
These examples show that we need to understand academic
freedom, and other fundamental values, in a wider reference
framework than the national context. And we have
seen that the Bologna Process has taken up this task and
there has been a joint statement on the need to develop
a common reference framework for conceptualising and
monitoring fundamental values in the EHEA. For this purpose,
a task force on monitoring fundamental values in the
EHEA has been set up.
(In)direct link
As explained above, the 2020 Rome Communiqué made
a direct link between fundamental values and quality in
higher education, arguing that respect for fundamental
values is a necessary condition for quality learning, teaching
and research – thereby, indirectly linking quality assurance
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