TASKS, PRIORITYAREAS AND MONITORING TOOLS
QUALITY ASSURANCE
While quality assurance has already been a Bologna process action line from the beginning of the process, in their 2003 Berlin communiqué [18] the ministers stated very concrete tasks for the next two-year period.
First of all, they stressed that, consistent with the principle of institutional autonomy, the primary responsibility for quality assurance in higher education lies with each institution itself and this provides the basis for real accountability of the academic system within the national quality framework. This statement of ministers actually provides for developing such quality assurance systems where the primary quality assurance is carried out through the internal quality assurance mechanisms inside the institutions – which is also considered the best way with a view of permanent quality improvement.
The ministers stressed the need to develop mutually shared criteria and methodologies of quality assurance. They agreed that by 2005 national quality assurance systems should include:
• A definition of the responsibilities of the bodies and institutions involved,
• Evaluation of programmes or institutions, including internal assessment, external review, participation of students and the publication of results,
• A system of accreditation, certification or comparable procedures,
• International participation, co-operation and networking.