Norway¿s Misunderstanding of the Bologna Process: When Internationalisation Becomes Anglicisation

Making the higher education sector English speaking is not a stated goal of the Bologna Process. In the Bologna Declaration and its succeeding communiqués, no mention is made of language issues or measures to overcome language barriers. However, in Norway there seems to be a tacit understanding that English medium higher education is necessary in order to meet the goals of the Bologna Process. In Norway¿s 2003 report ¿Norway ¿ Implementation of the elements of the Bologna Process¿ it is stated that ¿Norwegian higher education institutions are encouraged to increase the number of academic courses offered in English at their institutions in order to attract more foreign students to Norway¿ (page 2). This was backed up by a law amendment in 2002, which repealed the clause ¿the language of instruction is normally Norwegian¿ (Universities and Colleges Act, §2.7). The Ministry of Education and Research has on numerous occasions emphasised the importance of English,
both in research publications and as a language of instruction. Norway¿s interpretation of the Bologna Process seems to contribute to a language shift from Norwegian to English in higher education, despite the absence of such a goal in the Bologna Declaration itself.