ACD expects "Bologna Asia" programme to start in 2014
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The "Bologna Asia" proposal, which aims to accommodate university student unit transfers and student exchange programmes within Asia, would take effect next year and would start with Thailand's private institutions due to their better flexibility.
Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) secretary general Bundit Limsakul said Monday he backed the idea, saying he would table this proposal by the Association of Private Higher Education Institutions of Thailand (APHEIT) at the general meeting of 33 ACD member countries early next year. He expected the plan to be welcomed by countries well used to student exchange programmes such as Malaysia. Some issues, however, may be problematic. For example, the study period for bachelor’s degree programmes in many Asian countries was three years while in Thailand, it was four years. A central agency would thus be established to run a unit transfer system. Thailand still needed to improve its preparedness in language proficiency, he added.
