The Libyan Higher education system has recently faced, on the one side, a process of de-harmonisation, producing relevant differences among HEIs in terms of curricula, syllabi and learning outcomes, while on the other side the legislation adopted in 2010 facilitated the introduction of the three cycles system and the adoption on behalf of Libyan universities of the ECTS and new quality assurance practices. Libyan Higher Education institutions started introducing some elements of innovation over the recent years, in line with the Bologna Process and the major trends for Higher Education worldwide. It is not a case that the project ARMONIA  – Harmonisation and modernization of the Higher Education system in Libya introducing Bologna Process principles at national and institutional levels is framed in the recent developments that the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Libya and universities are pushing forward. 

In this sense, the project ARMONIA has made significant progress throughout the year, bringing together key stakeholders for a series of stimulating exchanges and activities. 

After the official kick–off of the project in January 2024, Partners came together for a number of in-presence activities, in Europe and in Libya, to advance on the discussions about the best paths for the modernization of the Libyan Higher Education system.

Kick-Off Meeting in Rome

To start, on June 24th-25th 2024, Sapienza University of Rome hosted the project Kick-Off Meeting in Rome, gathering all the Partners of the project together for the first time in presence, and saw the participation of representatives of European and Libyan universities, of the Libyan Ministry of Higher Education, as well as delegates from the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).  The two-days were the occasion to hold discussions focused on higher education governance, the strategic role of ARMONIA in Libya, the Bologna Process implementation in Libya and the project work packages, paving the way for a closer collaboration. European Partners presented their experiences with the Bologna Process, shortcomings and successes, to support the adoption and adaptation of practices on behalf of Libyan HEIs. The KOM was a key moment to fully understand expectations and for all participants to fully appropriate the road ahead. 

Field visit- Pavia

The following day, the University of Pavia hosted the first field visit of the project, in the framework of  Work Package 2 focused on the needs analysis and benchmarking with European partners. The visit at UNIPV was meant to offer Libyan colleagues a space for confrontation with European colleagues on how universities implement services and perform activities, and to learn about new approaches towards internationalisation, employability, students’ welcoming and quality assurance. The field visit saw the participation of about 40 Libyan colleagues, including the representatives of the Ministry. During the days in Pavia, both the staff at the University of Pavia and the participants from the Istanbul Aydin University shared and compared best practices with Libyan partners in key topics such as internationalisation, qualification frameworks, ICM and financial models for university reforms. 

Focus Group in Tripoli

After the visit in Europe, ARMONIA moved back home and all Partners were hosted in Tripoli for a Focus Group, on July 10th-11th 2024, hosted by the Libyan Academy for Postgraduate Studies (LAPS). The Focus Group, centered on quality assurance, credit recognition and student-centered approach, aimed at assessing Libya’s current higher education landscape. To this purpose, the National Center for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Educational and Training Institutions in Libya shared with the participants insights about QA and accreditation procedures and the overall goal of reforming HE towards high-quality standards. The preparatory discussion to allow universities to perform a SWOT analysis of internal resources and practices, as well as on the creation of a Bologna Process Unit in each Libyan HEI, provided for by the project, is one of the main achievements of the Focus Group and a crucial step towards a systemic reform. 

Recent Developments

In addition, some Libyan universities, such as University of Tripoli and Misurata University, have already started raising awareness of the Bologna Process principles among their communities by organizing dedicated workshops. UNIMED was very proud to present ARMONIA as best practice among the many UNIMED initiatives on governance in the South-Mediterranean region during the last General Assembly held in Istanbul in October 2024. 

In the meantime, Partners continued working on completing the needs analysis before launching the next phase of the project. Looking ahead, the project ARMONIA foresees an intensive capacity-building action, starting with a full training week which will be held at the Istanbul Aydin University in May 2025.

With these actions completed, ARMONIA is on track to support Libya’s higher education reform and ensure alignment with the Bologna Process in the years ahead.

To know more about the project, please visit the ARMONIA website