Additionally, it offers key recommendations for universities, student unions, policymakers and other actors. We urge our partners and international actors to support Belarusian community of students and scholars by advocating for concrete measures to assist them in Belarus and abroad.

It is important to note that the BSA has been designated as an extremist entity in Belarus. Any interaction with this document may carry the risk of political persecution within Belarus.

You can read the new 5th edition (2024) here.

You can read the 4th edition (2023) here.

You can read the 3rd edition (2022) here.

You can read the 2nd edition (2021) here.

You can read the 1st edition (August-December 2020) here.

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The report paints a bleak picture of Belarusian academia in 2023, highlighting:

• BSA declared extremist: The Belarusian Students’ Association, a key advocate for student rights, was declared extremist, criminalizing involvement and potentially targeting members.
• Students persecuted: Numerous students faced politically motivated detentions, trials, and sentences for peaceful activities or online comments, often forced to confess publicly and labeled “extremists” or “terrorists.”
• Faculty targeted: Professors were also penalized, fired, or imprisoned for expressing dissent or supporting protests.
• Gender discrimination: Medical universities implemented discriminatory quotas favoring men for some specialties.
• Forced “patriotism”: Mandatory military training and propaganda screenings aimed at controlling students’ narratives and values.
• Surveillance and control: Inspections of phones and social media, forced pledges of loyalty, and threats of expulsion aimed at silencing dissent.
• Student exodus: Thousands of students left Belarus to study abroad, primarily due to repression and limited post-graduation opportunities.
• Mandatory work placement: The government proposed extending mandatory work periods after graduation, potentially restricting mobility and choices.

Overall, the report reveals a systematic effort by the Belarusian regime to repress academic freedom, silence dissent, and indoctrinate students, leading to a climate of fear, brain drain, and limited opportunities.

You can read the new 4th edition (2023) here.

You can read the 3rd edition (2022) here.

You can read the 2nd edition (2021) here.

You can read the 1st edition (August-December 2020) here.

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Despite emerging as an established mechanism within several Eu-ropean countries since the 90’s, the process of quality assurance in higher education has expanded as a commonality across all Europe as it was embraced by the Bologna Process since its early beginnings. The adoption of the first edition of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area in 2005 represented a cornerstone in European cooperation in higher education for several reasons: it was the first policy docu-ment adopted by ministers of higher education where the agen-cy was put in stakeholders (E4 – ENQA, EUA, EURASHE, ESU), which came with the proposal; it demonstrated that overarching, but also concrete commitments in national jurisdictions can be agreed upon; and it had created a coherent system with ingenious relations of cau-sality that would ensure its application: to be ‘recognised’, quality assurance agencies should comply with the ESGs, which in turn re-quires that they assess the compliance of HEIs against the ESGs (in most cases with effects regulated by national regulations in case of non-compliance), and finally also that the national framework for quality assurance is in line with the set of standards enacted by it.

Read the full report

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The survey, which got almost 9000 answers in around 1 month, shows that a quarter (25%) of respondents experienced scams, proving the need for better support measures in this area.  Lack of information about housing conditions (41%) and excessive deposit payments of more than 1 month (49%) are the most prevalent issues reported by students. The report shows clear differences among countries in almost all parameters. As an example, more than 38% of students going to Italy suffered scams, while only 10% of students going to Finland did.

The success of this data collection effort can be attributed to the support and collaboration of Higher Education Institutions, Erasmus+ National Agencies, student organisations, and other key stakeholders such as University networks. Their collective dedication and participation allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the housing conditions faced by exchange students.

The release of this research report marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts of ESU and ESN to advocate for the rights and well-being of exchange students in Europe. By leveraging the comprehensive data collected from across Europe, the organisations aim to drive meaningful change, empower students, and create a more inclusive and supportive educational environment.

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The post Exploring students’perceptions of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and academic integrity in European Higher Education appeared first on European Students' Union.

The academic Freedom project keeps growing ! Thanks to the dynamism and involvement of the winners of the Ideathon, the demand for academic freedom has been widen ! 

Students are now raising their voices on the need for considering students points of view when approaching academic freedom issues in Europe. 

And this has been possible thanks to the development of three amazing projects led by motivated international groups of students, who won the Ideathon contest organized in February. They have been awarded 750 euros to implement the following projects:

• The Fetters at liberty project is a beautiful story of cooperation between Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  and Albania. A series of theoretical workshops have already been provided to the Bachelor students of the Universities of Belgrade, Sarajevo and Tirana to raise awareness of academic freedom in the three countries and to encourage engagement in student activism. Then a series of practical workshops are going to be implemented. This project will be concluded by a final online meeting gathering the participants from all the workshops of the three countries to share their thoughts on the topic. 

Follow them on Instagram for all the news and upcoming activities. You can also join their Facebook page.

• The Omega project is proposing a unique content still currently missing out on the internet: a series of short Youtube videos in the form of interviews to raise awareness about breaches of academic freedom, with a focus on Belarus. 

Follow them on Instagram to stay tuned on the Youtube videos to come. 

• What if art meets activism ? This is what the Artdemic project will make possible, offering the possibility for censored scholars or student activists to tell their stories to artists who will share and amplify their voices through their artworks. For young artists, it is also going to be a unique opportunity to learn about academic freedom. This great collaboration work will be concluded by an open exhibition in Catalonia in May.

Follow them on Instagram to have all the info about the upcoming art exhibition and if you want to take part in the exhibition as an artist or as a scholar. 

You can also check ESU’s Instagram account for some videos on the different project groups. 

During the biannual European Students Convention organized by ESU in March in Lund, the three groups were able to present their projects and raise the awareness of the audience on the need for protecting academic freedom. 

Their projects keep going until the end of May 2023, so stay tuned, a lot is still to come !

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You can read and download the full publication here.

This report was developed in the framework of the “Academic Freedom – Time to Act!” project, supported by a grant from the Foundation Open Society Institute in cooperation with the Education Program of the Open Society Foundations. The project aims to deepen the knowledge on defending, monitoring and promoting Academic Freedom in Higher Education in Europe.

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Download the ESU’s 2022 in review report.

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