The Quality Reform is a joint responsibility

The tens of thousands of new students who are currently flocking to the country's universities and university colleges will be the acid test of the Quality Reform in higher education. The universities and university colleges have adopted a new degree structure, one that is more in line with international conventions. A completely new teaching system is being put in place, with new study paths and a greater emphasis on guidance and classroom instruction. The students have been promised much. Will be able to honour those promises'.

Reforms are not carried out in the halls of Parliament or at the desks of cabinet ministers. Nor is this where quality in higher education is generated. That takes place in the lecture halls, the library, the classrooms and school offices. This is where the ideals are realized. Which is why a study that MMI carried out on behalf of the Norwegian Association of Research Workers before last summer is so disturbing. It showed that 40% of the technical staff at universities and university high schools took a dim view of the Quality Reform. Reflected in their responses is a fear of greater work pressure and less time for research. Two out of three respondents stated that their workload the previous year was heavier than before. Nearly as many felt that their workload would increase after the Reform had been fully implemented, and 6 out of 10 felt that they would end up with less time for research.

The unease and insecurity of the staff adversely affects the students, who begin to wonder whether they will get the kind of quality and follow-up they were promised. And what is expected of them in terms of initiative and self-effort? In fact, the Reform makes demands not just on those who teach and provide guidance. The role of students has also changed. They will come face-to-face with a new study environment, one that makes greater demands in terms of participation and hard work. Quality costs money, and many have questioned whether there is enough money and enough people to meet the promises of more and better teaching. This is a concern we need to take seriously. But it's not just about money and the number of teachers. It's also about the attitude of students and staff towards the changes that are being proposed. The Reform's success depends on a positive attitude on the part of all the parties involved. Some might discover that they need to change their attitude.

The Norwegian Association of Research Workers and the Norwegian Association of Students are sympathetic to both the essence and the ambitious thrust of the Quality Reform. The changes it envisions will potentially lead to better teaching and research. But this is not going to happen all by itself. More guidance and better teaching must not be allowed to put a crimp in research opportunities. Staff and students alike must be guaranteed genuine influence in the management and operations of institutions at every level. The students must receive enough financial support to enable them to focus on studying and learning, rather than on working while they are studying.

We need students who have a thirst for knowledge - who are creative, innovative and involved. And we need staff that are active and committed, who make good use of their own research experience in their teaching and as advisors. But for this to work, the politicians are going to have to provide predictable and satisfactory framework conditions. If they don't, the Quality Reform will never amount to anything more than a pencil pusher's reform.