Although they are autonomous, HEIs are providers of public services and the beneficiaries of public funds. As such, the public, and especially the funding providers, have a vested interest in knowing what goes on within the institutions. Methods of information sharing vary, but HEIs in every country are required to give regular accounts of their activities.
An annual report is required in most countries, usually prepared and presented to the Ministry by the executive head of the institution. Although many annual reports include information on the institutional budget, they are used primarily as an accountability tool for educational and other activities (for information on financial accountability, see Chapter 3). Annual reports typically include information on educational and other activities, students and student services, staff, and international relations. In a number of countries, the annual reports may include an assessment of results achieved by the institution, an update on progress with regard to the institutional strategic plan, a summary of resources, and information on finances.
In addition to the accounting report, HEIs in the Netherlands submit information on education (new programs, etc.), research, students, personnel, graduation rates, quality assurance systems, international policy, housing, academic hospitals (when relevant) and finances.
Universities in Austria submit an annual performance report to the Ministry, as along with a report on intellectual capital, social goals, objectives and strategies, as well as outputs and impacts of processes set out in the performance agreement.
Annual reports in Portugal include information on development plans and their implementation, an analysis of administration and finances, inventory of available resources and their utilisation, indication of objectives already attained, description of changes in academic and non-academic staff, data on admission, enrolment and students’ scholastic success.
The annual report in Romania is a key document for the financing of HEIs and includes information on the attainment of objectives, enrolment data, teaching and administration posts, institutional budget, facilities, research projects, publications, international relations, counselling and guidance, experimental units, etc. In the United Kingdom, documents and dialogue are exchanged between the funding bodies and the HEIs during a specific period each year. The exchange includes audit-related information as well as information on planning and performance.
In Norway, the annual reports include information on results, achievements and future plans and are used as a basis for annual consultative meetings between representatives of the Ministry and the HEI. The meetings are important for monitoring the system and for setting targets and objectives for the coming years.
HEIs in many countries must make regular updates for national databases with information on activities, academic programmes, staff, enrolled students, cost per student, degrees awarded, etc. National databases
All higher education institutions in Estonia are required to submit information regarding students to an electronic database (Estonian Education Information System). All national statistics and funding from the Ministry of Education and Research are based on that information.
In the United Kingdom, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education. HESA is funded by and serves all publicly funded HEIs in the UK and delivers the information required by the Government and its agencies to inform policy decisions. HESA also provides public accountability. The data collected covers students, student destinations, staff and finance and is used to provide a set of performance indicators which include: widening participation indicators, non-continuation rates, completion rates, research output and employment of graduates.
In several countries, HEIs conduct self-evaluations and publish the results. Other methods of information sharing include: meetings between members of the institution and the Ministry, funding body, or representatives of the labour market; Internet publishing; documentation made available at university libraries; quarterly financial reports; reports on study programmes; and external evaluation reports.
In the German-speaking community of Belgium, the HEI consults regularly with employers of former
students for feedback on institutional development.
In Denmark, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Development issued a set of guidelines for public access to private financing of research at public research institutions, including universities. According to the guidelines, public research institutions must provide an annual overview of private financing of research conducted at the institution. The annual overviews must be made publicly available.
In Estonia, professional HEIs are required to organise regular conferences, seminars and workshops. In Greece, the results of internal and external assessments guaranteed by the National Quality Assurance Agency must be made available in a way most convenient so as to safeguard the maximum transparency possible. The Ministry is also permitted to request data on students and graduates.
HEIs in Latvia develop separate annual reports on cooperation among HEIs, state authorities and local government and society. These documents are filed in the institution’s library.
In Austria, the Ministry may require universities to provide ongoing, automated access to data as necessary for the Ministry’s planning, control, statistics and calculation of financial indicators.
In Slovenia, data regarding the quality of education is collected through external evaluation by a special independent unit of the Ministry, the Higher Education Office of the Republic of Slovenia, and submitted to the Council for Higher Education of the Republic of Slovenia.
According to the law on free access to information in Slovakia, universities must provide information upon request to any individual or institution. Each faculty also prepares an annual Study Programme with basic information on study programmes, courses, conditions for admission and examination, organisational structure and timetables of all academic activities.
Figure 2.1: Mechanisms of institutional planning and information sharing, public and government-dependent private higher education, 2006/07
Co
untry
Strategic plan Annual r
e port Natio n al database Self-e valu ation
Meetings / Internet / Other Co
untry
Strategic plan Annual r
e port Natio n al database Self-e valu ation
Meetings / Internet / Other
BE fr LT BE de LU BE nl HU BG MT CZ (a) NL CZ (b) AT DK PL DE PT EE RO IE (a) SI IE (b) SK EL FI ES SE FR UK IT IS CY LI LV NO
Officially required Not required or no regulation Source: Eurydice.
Additional notes
Belgium (BE de): The Figure refers to the Autonome Hochschule.
Czech Republic: (a): The Figure refers to ISCED level 5A institutions. (b): The Figure refers to ISCED level 5B tertiary professional schools.
Germany, Estonia, and Austria: The Figure refers to universities.
Ireland: (a): The Figure refers to universities. (b): The Figure refers to institutes of technology.
Luxembourg: Information not verified at national level.
Malta: The Figure refers to the University of Malta.