Rune Boelsmand Bak, Vice Chair of Academic Matters, Danish Students Union
Denmark: The Danish Accreditation Institute is to be closed, and it’s duties taken over by a Secretariat under the Ministry, Will Danish higher education be able to comply with the ESGs? The Danish Students Union (DSF) sceptical at best.
Law proposal
The Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Research is looking to amend the law regarding HEI accreditation. The Danish Accreditation Institute (AI) will be abolished, and instead a new Secretariat placed under the Ministry of Higher Education and Science will carry it’s duties to the Danish Accreditation Council.
This move is a part of a larger set of cost-saving measures within the government. It is clear that this particular cut was seen as low hanging fruit to pick, but it is also clear that the fruit pickers decided that the most effective fruit picking strategy was to fell the fruit tree without any plan for next year’s harvest.
Indepence no more
The new Accreditation Secretariat will be required to fulfill the same duties to the Council as AI did, and in this regard is meant to be fully independent from the Ministry’s influence. To the Minister, this is enough to remain compliant with ESG 3.3 regarding independence of accreditation institutions, and a decent safeguard from violation of the arm’s length principle.
While this is dubious already, the law proposal also requires employees of the Secretariat to carry out actual, ministerial work whenever possible. In these cases, the Secretariat will be reporting to the Minister as ordinary civil servants.
This double role will surely affect the Secretariat’s ability to remain impartial with regards to the Minister’s notion of their work. As a member of the public, it worries me to a great extend that I wouldn’t be sure if the specific situation would be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry or not.
A step in the wrong direction
The placement of the new Accreditation Secretariat as a unit under the Ministry is a step in the wrong direction.
It is well known that Denmark – despite boasting wide-spread free education – has a relatively low level of academic freedom, compared to the average between EU countries. This law proposal will instill further doubt not only in Denmark’s desire to increase the quality of higher education, but also in the over-all health of the academic society in the country.
Denmark’s standing in the Bologna bubble will deteriorate
In the coming 18 months, the European Standards and Guidelines (ESGs) are to be revised and improved. This means that the required quality standards will rise, and, following this, that HE will rise in quality.
This also means, however, that any institution already faling behind the current ESGs will have a particularly hard time adjusting to the new guidelines. The Danish Accreditation Institute is only partially compliant with the ESGs, and surely, this law proposal will push towards Danish non-compliance.
I can see only one outcome: With the deterioration Denmark’s standing within the Bologna Process area, so our country’s main product – knowledge – will be in less demand as well. This is a loss to students, to the nation and to the entire cooperation.
