In central and eastern Europe, developments of the last decade require
another analysis. After the velvet revolutions of 1989 and 1990, the real
state of public sector governance and the economy became visible. Whereas
many changes during the nineties found important momentum from university
campuses, partly having started there, and many professors became ministers,
student organisation was a communist-run business, and remained for this
reason highly suspect. Traces of the old obligatory participation at meetings,
for the applause after the rhetoric, did the rest. It is still most urgent
that democratic students get support from colleagues in 'old democracies'
to organise democratic and independent student unions that do not concentrate
on earning money or running a pub, but on governance at both institutional
and national level.
- ESIB has an important advisory, co-ordinating and, if necessary, initiating role here.
- National unions could adopt another union, in central and eastern Europe, but also in other developing countries.
- If needed, financial support for such a scheme should be made available by the European Union, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Council of Europe, other international organisations and national governments.
Students in Governance or Students as Customers.
In terms of rights and obligations, students should study to the best
of their abilities, take exams, respect university property and legitimate
regulations, pay tuition fees if any, and pay back study loans according
to the regulations. As to their rights we can distinguish three categories:
- to get good facilities and teachers;
- to have legal competencies in a democratically governed higher education system, in order to ensure that students' interests are effectively represented;
- to have a general right to be consulted by the competent authorities
when matters concern student affairs in the broad sense of the word, including
academic and social affairs and general management.
Setting up or changing a governing structure cannot be the sole responsibility of one party. The development of and adaptation to a new 'management culture' in rapidly changing circumstances is a continuing process that takes time, mutual persuasion and determination, without a pause. If -in this process- government or university management do not take the lead, students and/or staff should do so.
In Europe, every country has its unique patterns of higher education governance. And every country has its own tradition in student unionism. The national differences as to domain, strength, forms of membership, organisational structures, power, determination and focus, are not easy to match. Worse, they are hardly known by others than a few volunteers who find - for a short period of time- their vocation in this field. This might not be a big problem, but with a view to the countervailing powers that democratic governance needs, students should build a stronger international organisation that matches the international orientation of institutions and governments. In our advisory work in central and eastern Europe, the Legislative Reform Programme always encouraged the audiences to set up, facilitate and involve democratic student organisations, in order to strengthen governance of the higher education sector and thereby support the transition processes. The creativeness of students, their skills and their motivation to implement the changes their countries need, are indispensable to maintain an international, democratic and peaceful world.
Students should regard themselves, and should be regarded by others, as full -though new- members of the academic community, not just as visitors. The managerialism in many institutions leads to considering students as products, or at its best as customers. This is neither fruitful nor democratic and it disregards -if not undermines- important functions of a university, for example transmitting academic values and attitude to young academics, many of them becoming leaders in business and public life. Contracts between institutions and students, as between a car-salesman and a taxi-driver, are not necessarily the source of much mutual respect and dedication. In the European Journal for Education Law and Policy (1997, Vol. 1, p. 57-80), my advice was to increase the use of contractual models in the governance of the public sector, whilst decreasing the deployment of rules. That is, in the relation between state and institution. It may well be, however, not the best idea to expand this thinking to the relation between student and institution, as it is likely that rights of students are better secured by the legislator in an Act of Parliament, than by the oligopolists in institutional leadership, drawing up standard contracts with individual students.
Consequently, it is hard to understand why in the 'old democracies' in western Europe, students quite massively withdraw from university governance, whereas in the 'new democracies in central Europe', students or student unions play almost no role at all in the transformation of their institutions and their market-economies. In other countries -further east- catching up has barely started. There is much to prepare and more to do if one considers the changes the near future will keep bringing us. It also should be underscored that for a student, governing is an excellent exercise. It should also be well understood that good university governance is an important factor in, often an indicator of, the democratic and economic development of a nation.
A Role for ESIB
In light of these and other developments, and with a view to the future:
- ESIB could develop a Convention on students' rights related to governing higher education and research. Such a Convention -if having a realistic contents- should determine effective minimum standards as guidance for national unions of students, institutions and governments.
- ESIB could further develop into a sort of International Labour Organisation (ILO). To concentrate on the issue of governance -at a time that the OECD/IMHE runs a project on governance too- would be a wise policy.
- Finally, it should be emphasised that co-ordinated support of sister-organisations in countries that are less well off, is not only an act of mercy. It is a duty as well as plain self-interest of every generation students. ESIB is in the position to contribute to the process of the two Europes becoming one, and it should make haste.
