Element of Bologna Process Implemented at the Academy

At present, education at seven Belarusian universities is based on technologies elaborated at the Academy. On completing two years of education and showing high academic performance students of regional universities can transfer to the Academy and here acquire their diplomas. Deputy Director of the Academy’s Research Institute for Theory and Practice of Public Administration Mr. Leonid Gancharik commented on the situation: “This is how we managed to implement an element of the Bologna process that aims to create a universal higher educational area. Moreover, it was a step towards expanding student mobility”.

Since 2000 the Academy vigorously applies distance education techniques rendering informational support to students via e-technologies. As for self-education, distance studies make it possible for managerial personnel to get fresh and relevant information at their workplaces.

A course elective system for in-service students was introduced at the Academy’s Institute of Civil Service. Alongside with their majors, executives will be studying subjects they personally view as indispensable, their lecture schedules will be individually tailored and each of them will have a tutor. By the way, a new major “State Building” is going to be launched at the Academy in September of the current year and studies in this major will also be taken distantly.

Part-time distance courses are also available at the Academy’s Institute of Managerial Personnel for the major “Public Administration and Economics”. In between examination sessions students have an opportunity to continue studies on their own with the help of tests, practical assignments and audio lectures. All this allows to reduce six years of education to five years.

Mr. Gancharik also said that with time students will be able to look through lecture notes on-line and chose the teacher whose lectures they liked best. Possibility of selecting teachers is one of the basic principles of higher educational system under the Bologna Declaration.

© Press Centre