Bologna Burns in Vienna!!!

Students preparing for the “2010 Bologna Ministerial Conference“ in Vienna

Vienna (22nd February 2010) – Students are preparing for the “2010 Bologna Ministerial Conference“ in Vienna and Budapest. In addition to a variety of creative campaigns and demonstrations, students have organized an alternative summit. Guests from all over Europe have announced their participation.

Demonstration

On March 11th and 12th 2010 education ministers from 46 countries will gather for an “Extraordinary Anniversary Ministerial Conference” in Budapest and Vienna. The Bologna process has changed European universities, not only through the often catastrophic implementation of the Bachelor/Master system. The shortcomings of the Bologna Declaration and the incompetent implementation of the Action Lines cannot merit a celebration of the process. Because of this, the “unsereuni – our uni”student movement is organizing the “Bologna Action Days” from March 10th -14th 2010.

On Thursday, March 11th, an international demonstration with the slogan “United against cuts in education and social services – our future in our hands” will take place, starting at 3 PM at the Vienna Westbahnhof. A broad call for support from students organising the demonstration has reached a large number of organisations and unions.

Teaching and research staff at Vienna’s universities, for example the Technical University of Vienna, will hold staff meetings in preparation for the protests. There will be strike measures at several universities, including the University of Applied sciences, FH Campus Wien. Classes will be cancelled on March 11th and 12th.

Alternative Summit

From March 12th to 14th students are organising an Alternative Summit at the University Campus in Vienna. The program will offer a number of workshops dealing with various areas in education politics and a final panel discussion. Participants will include Christian Felber from ATTAC Austria, the journalist and author Robert Misik and the sociologist Andreas Keller from the German education trade union.

International Guests

Guests from many European countries have announced their participation at the Alternative Summit and the demonstration in Vienna. Apart from providing space for discussion of European and international consequences of the Bologna process and related developments, the alternative events taking place in Vienna between March 11th and 14th are intended as a platform for international networking and exchanging protest experiences with fellow students from all over Europe.
Around 20 people are coming to Vienna from Budapest too :)

http://bolognaburns.org