DEGREE STRUCTURE AND RECOGNITION BEFORE AND WITHIN THE BOLOGNA PROCESS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN HIGHER EDUCATION IN CAMEROON AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

Joyce Afuh Vuban, Prosper Mbelle Mekolle

Abstract


The development of higher education systems has been marked by significant efforts aimed at promoting compatibility, comparability, international competitiveness, and attractiveness. A key initiative in this regard is the Bologna Process, launched in 1998-1999 to create the European Higher Education Area. The Bologna Process has had a far-reaching impact, shaping higher education practices and policies both in Europe and globally. This research investigates degree structure and recognition before and within the Bologna Process, focusing on higher education in Cameroon and the United Kingdom. Phillips and Ochs’ circular model of policy-borrowing was employed to aid the understanding of the Bologna Process as a transnational model within contemporary higher education. Data was analyzed qualitatively using documents - from a comparative standpoint. Findings revealed that HE in Cameroon and the UK exhibit commonalities, differences, and challenges. In terms of commonalities, both HE systems have scrapped off, modified, and retained some old degrees that existed in the pre-LMD and pre-BP era, respectively. However, both HE systems differ in the types of intermediary degrees offered and the duration of their study cycles in the pre-LMD/LMD and pre-BP/BP eras. We argue that, despite Bologna’s recent efforts to have a three-cycle degree system (Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate) across higher education systems, however, the 2001 Prague Communique, which encouraged higher education institutions to take advantage of national legislations to facilitate degrees and other awards, and the 2005 Bergen Communique which adopted an overarching framework for qualifications in the EHEA, comprising three cycles - including, within national contexts, the possibility of intermediate qualifications – partly explain existing divergence of degrees and degree structures between contemporary higher education in Cameroon and the UK, and possibly beyond, thus having implications for recognition. The paper recommends the need for HE policymakers in Cameroon, the UK and beyond to engage in policy dialogue, exchange of good practices and effectively collaborate to mitigate degree recognition barriers.

 

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Bologna Process, Cameroon, degree structure, LMD, policy borrowing, recognition, higher education, United Kingdom

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v11i9.5488

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