Publications by Robert Santa
Employability With Student Eyes, as the main research study of the Student Advancement of Graduat... more Employability With Student Eyes, as the main research study of the Student Advancement of Graduates Employability (SAGE) project, reflects opinions of the National Students’ Unions on the current Higher Education trends, focusing primarily on the buzz term “employability” and the ways this concept is being dealt with in various national contexts, in response to the EU and the EHEA policies and strategies. It is also set to prove that employability is not a one-size-fits all concept and that it’s understanding and implementation highly depends on the national educational and economical policies. Also, it offers a unique definition of employability, from the students’ point of view, as well as policy recommendations for enhancement of employability.
Papers by Robert Santa
Higher Education in Romania: Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Opportunities, 2022
Romanian education policy was notoriously plagued by instability and a tendency to escape the nor... more Romanian education policy was notoriously plagued by instability and a tendency to escape the normal policymaking cycle via top-down highly politicised reforms. After almost three decades, a new initiative by the President of Romania attempts to promote a more inclusive style of policymaking that would ensure wider societal support to upcoming educational reforms. The purpose of this article is to set the background to the wider discussion on Romanian higher education, placing it inside the context of the country�s efforts to reform its schools and universities via the Educated Romania project, on which the authors had the privilege of working. It aims to create a long-term, structured vision on which to centre future education reforms and to correct some of the imbalances that have emerged in Romanian education over the past few decades. The conclusion also analyses the chances of its survival in the current Romanian political and administrative status-quo.
Higher Education in Romania: Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Opportunities, 2022
The sharp decline in fertility rates that has occurred in Central and Eastern Europe in the immed... more The sharp decline in fertility rates that has occurred in Central and Eastern Europe in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of communist regimes has generated a realignment of social, economic and political realities across the region. Romania is no exception, and the ageing of its population has influenced a sharp reversal of the admissions boom of the 90s and 2000s. Universities are struggling to attract enough students while overall participation in higher education, when measured by the share of 30 to 34-year-olds with at least a bachelor’s degree, places Romania last among the 27 EU members. Drawing upon data from the National Matriculation Registry (RMU), the paper aims to analyse trends in student admissions and map university recruitment flows. The paper uses network analysis of existing student populations to identify universities with demographically vulnerable recruitment basins. The paper then discusses the impact of these vulnerabilities and analyse the wider challe...
At the finish line An account of ten years of European higher education reformBologna At the fini... more At the finish line An account of ten years of European higher education reformBologna At the finish line An account of ten years of European higher education reform
REFUGEES WELCOME? always based on objective research, which may have resulted in sending unsettli... more REFUGEES WELCOME? always based on objective research, which may have resulted in sending unsettling signals to the public and therefore, understandably, may have caused anxiety and reluctance of the communities to help refugees (Berry et al., 2015). For some, the higher influx of refugees became a symbol of European inability to define itself and the term 'refugee crisis' was an excuse for weaknesses of the immigration policies and humanitarian aid systems (ESU, 2014a; Nougayrède, 2016). However, the debate in general is rather Eurocentric leaving out what is at the core of the issue-helping people rebuild their lives, restore their dignity and awaken a sense of belonging-factors that are central to battling barriers to motivation and participation in new communities (Brar-Josan, 2015). This humanitarian crisis should trigger a search for catalysts for integration to build more inclusive humanitarian systems putting safety, dignity and opportunities of the vulnerable at the centre. Education certainly constitutes an example of such an instrument (ESU, 2014a). It helps them to integrate in local communities, helps them to further their personal development, and provide for their families (ibid.). This study analyses how selected countries use education as an instrument for inclusion of refugees, asylum seekers and persons in refugee-like situation focusing on two main aspects: access and recognition of qualifications. The aim of the research is twofold. On the one hand to have a better knowledge and understanding about the initiatives already taken by higher education actors or lack thereof with regard to access to higher education for refugees and recognition of their qualifications and on the other to help ideas travel across the contexts and be applicable in other countries by indicating promising practices to foster access to and successful completion of third-level education for student refugees. The following section sheds some light on the state of play of refugees' integration through education in the European context and moves on to presentation of the structure of the report. 2. INTEGRATION OF REFUGEES THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE Since the peak in in 2015, the numbers of refugees coming to Europe has been decreasing. The recorded applications from the first-time asylum seekers in the EU-28 countries dropped in the fourth quarter of 2016 in comparison to the fourth quarter of 2015 and the third quarter of 2015 by-51% and-43%, respectively. Only in the fourth quarter of 2015, the number of persons seeking asylum amounted to 426,000, most of which were lodged Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis (Eurostat, 2017). According to the estimates, in 2015 refugees under 18 years old constitute 51% of the incoming population and the average time of exile for a refugee amount to 20 years (UNHCR, 2016a). Yet the access to education and higher education in particular is still heavily burdened. The evidence shows that people with a refugee background are five times more likely not to be enrolled in education than their non-refugee peers (UNESCO, 2016). Only 1% of youth with refugee background access tertiary education, compared to an access level of 34% globally among the youth (UNHCR, 2016b). In Europe the secured right to education regardless of migration or residence status is expressed only in 10 out of 28 Member States (PICUM, 2015). 5 REFUGEES WELCOME? obtained qualifications which ought to allow them to commence or continue their degrees is troublesome due to inefficient or non-existent recognition mechanisms. There are significant barriers of time, lengthy procedures and lack of adequate support and guidance that successfully prevent refugees from pursuing their academic degrees, despite the existing legal basis that guarantees all displaced persons, refugees, asylum seekers or persons in a refugee-like situation the right to education, and adequate support mechanisms to successfully complete it. The Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (the Lisbon Recognition Convention) is one of the most ratified of the Council of Europe's Conventions 1 and its section VII, article VII reads as follows: SECTION VII-RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS HELD BY REFUGEES, DISPLACED PERSONS AND PERSONS IN A REFUGEE-LIKE SITUATION Article VII Each Party shall take all feasible and reasonable steps within the framework of its education system and in conformity with its constitutional, legal, and regulatory provisions to develop procedures designed to assess fairly and expeditiously whether refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation fulfill the relevant requirements for access to higher education, to further higher education programmes or to employment activities, even in cases in which the qualifications obtained in one of the Parties cannot be proven through documentary evidence. (LRC, 1997) What this means in practice is that refugees who have prior education, both formal and non-formal, even if not documented, should have the right to have their qualifications assessed and recognised in a fair and transparent manner in all the countries who have signed and ratified the document. Despite a two-decade existence of those provisions, this article is yet to be fully respected and the ENIC 2-NARIC 3 centres report numerous problems with regard to a lack of or inefficient recognition procedures resulting in limited access to higher education for potential students from vulnerable backgrounds. Since 2015, the European Network of Information Centres in the European Region and the National Academic Recognition Information Centres in the European Union (ENIC-NARIC) have faced a significant increase in requests by refugees regarding the recognition of their qualifications. A specific part on the website has therefore been set up indicating how to address this issue. 4 A first review of the number of applications was held at the end of 2015 to gain a clear understanding of the challenges faced by the different centres. Table 1 presents the numbers of refugees who applied for recognition of qualifications in the countries that answered
European Higher Education Area: The Impact of Past and Future Policies, 2018
Central and Eastern Europe is currently undergoing a rapid transformation due to the decline in b... more Central and Eastern Europe is currently undergoing a rapid transformation due to the decline in birth-rates that occurred after the collapse of communist regimes across the region. The demographic transformation is increasingly affecting higher education systems, and the process was particularly acute in the years following 2008. The present paper aims to discuss the challenges faced by higher education in the context of population ageing and decline. Demographic trends across the European Higher Education Area are likely to make population contraction a key contextual factor in shaping higher education in the decades to come. Currently, there is somewhat limited research aimed at assessing the impact of population decline brought about by sub-replacement fertility rates 1 on higher education systems. This can be linked to the fact that low fertility rates are a fairly new demographic occurrence. While low fertility rates cause rapid and often abrupt declines in birth rate and demographic cohort sizes, they take at least 18 years before they start having an impact on higher education, due to the age structure of the student body. Furthermore, countries with hitherto low higher education participation rates (e.g. Germany) often compensate for cohort size reduction via rapid growth in university access rates per cohort. As such, there is as of yet still a limited number of countries in which low TFR (total fertility rate, see below) has started having a significant impact on higher education systems, and even here the literature tends to discuss low TFR as a background rather than a transformative factor. However, the situation is likely to change dramatically over the next two decades, with steep population ageing and long-term contraction of education systems,
Higher Education Reforms in Romania, 2014
Internal quality assurance Á Higher education Á Governmentality Á Romania Á Policy failure 1 Intr... more Internal quality assurance Á Higher education Á Governmentality Á Romania Á Policy failure 1 Introduction In response to laments about administrative burdens and 'reform fatigue', many university leaders have called for a prioritization of 'internal quality assurance' over 'external quality control'.
European Students Union, Apr 1, 2012
Bologna with Student Eyes 2012 is produced as part of the Student advancement of graduates Employ... more Bologna with Student Eyes 2012 is produced as part of the Student advancement of graduates Employability-SagE-project, funded by the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ConTEnT
Romania’s population figures have been subject to intense fluctuation since the Second World War.... more Romania’s population figures have been subject to intense fluctuation since the Second World War. After Ceausescu’s rigid family policies forced a sharp increase in the population, the numbers declined steeply after 1989. One key reason for this was a very high level of emigration. This initially relieved the burden on the employment market, but is now causing considerable economic and social problems. For several years, the country has attempted to counteract this development. In individual areas, migration has been having a positive effect, however. Overall, it is likely to have significant consequences for a long time to come.
The internationalization of higher education has been intensely studied at both national and inst... more The internationalization of higher education has been intensely studied at both national and institutional level. However, in recent years, it has been increasingly influenced by national level policies aimed at losing perceived talent gaps emerging in European economies. Several countries have enhanced facilities allowing international students to become permanent residents, even while tightening immigration requirements for other third country nationals. Such policy changes would imply that the international student has become a public policy target from a demographic policy perspective. As part of an enhanced focus on the internationalization of higher education, Romania enacted significant legal changes to its immigration laws in November 2018, altering the conditions under which international students can become permanent or long-term residents. Deploying the use of interviews, as well as a public policy analysis of recent legal and regulatory changes, this paper aims to explor...
European Students Union, Oct 1, 2010
European Students Union, Feb 1, 2010
This publication is part of the project »Enhancing the Student Contribution to the Bologna Implem... more This publication is part of the project »Enhancing the Student Contribution to the Bologna Implementation«, funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. BolognA AT ThE finiSh linE An Account of Ten years of European higher Education reform. content: daniela Bartolo, christian hemmestad Bjerke, Andrea Blättler, ligia deca, inge gielis, Sölvi Karlsson, Kristine Bak nielsen, Allan päll, petri rytkönen, robert Santa, melinda Szabó coordination and Editoring: Andrea Blättler & robert Santa proofreading: Emma di iorio, nUS Scotland policy and public Affairs staff, daniela Bartolo and christian hemmestad Bjerke layout and typesetting: linus rowedda cover illustration: Are Edvardsen printed by laserline, Berlin recymago, 100% recycling paper
The article briefly describes the current situation regarding access to higher education, the sit... more The article briefly describes the current situation regarding access to higher education, the situation of under-represented groups and the links with the overall situation of minority groups in Romanian society. It also offers a general panorama of the Romanian higher education system in order to present the contextual dimension of the debate on access. It mainly focuses on two perspectives: one linked to raw numbers and statistical data and the other to strategies, policies and measures. Mapping the access paths to higher education and student support measures, the article is relevant by drawing the gap between societal issues and policy practice. The chief conclusion is a need for greater political efforts in widening access and participation in higher education.
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Publications by Robert Santa
Papers by Robert Santa