From May 5th to 8th, 2025, around 100 participants from the ARMONIA project partners’ institutions gathered in Istanbul for an intense Training Week. After more than a year of implementation, the training marked the beginning of a comprehensive capacity building action focused on implementing the Bologna Process to modernize the Libyan Higher Education’s system.
Indeed, Libyan universities have started introducing some elements of innovation over the years, in line with the Bologna Process and the major trends for Higher Education worldwide. However, there is discontinuity in the introduction of new practices, if we look at the adoption of ECTS in courses and programs, the introduction of the three-cycle system, the use of mechanisms to ensure transparency, etc. The legislation adopted in 2010 clearly facilitated the task, but the HE system still requires a process of harmonization to allow Libyan universities to move at a similar rhythm and be in the condition to reach the same goals, capacity and quality performance.
ARMONIA made a step forward along this path, supporting the 13 Libyan partner HEIs and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Libya along the way, with the potential of becoming a game-changer in the Libyan scenario. Hosted by Istanbul Aydin University in Turkey, the ARMONIA Training Week served as a platform for equipping participants with a comprehensive understanding of the decisions leading to the Bologna Process implementation, offering both a broad overview of its core principles and a deep dive into the practical aspects..
In addition, the active involvement of both Libyan academic staff and the Libyan Ministry of Higher Education contributed to highly engaged practical sessions, and a final roundtable discussion around the experiences and challenges on the implementation of the Bologna Process in Libya. The overall scope of the exchanges over the week was to explore how to adapt it within the Libyan higher education context, and how to set the proper basis for the new practices to work at their best potential.
Throughout the week, participants had the opportunity to analyze and focus on pivotal topics such as student-centered learning outcomes, curriculum and course design aligned with Bologna principles, the implementation of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), quality assurance practices, learning mobility and internationalization strategies. Participants had multiple spaces to ask questions, deepen understanding, share doubts and hear the lessons learnt by the 3 European universities in the project: Sapienza University of Rome, University of Pavia and Istanbul Aydin University. Indeed, the training was designed not only to share knowledge, but also to foster exchange and collaborative learning, drawing on more than 25 years of Bologna Process experience.
This training will be followed by a series of online sessions designed to reinforce and complement the knowledge gained during the in-person program. Moreover, most of the universities have expressed their willingness to organise institutional workshops to share the outcomes of the training week and present ARMONIA to their educational communities.
As the ARMONIA project progresses, this training week marked a significant step in supporting Libya’s higher education institutions to align with international standards while respecting local needs.
For more information, visit ARMONIA website
