Symposium Speakers

Pavel Zgaga is Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana, where he began his academic career in 1978. He was Dean of the Faculty of Education (2001-2004), and is currently Director of the Centre for Education Policy Studies, a research and development institute engaged in policy development, and best known for its work on the South East European Education Cooperation Network.

During the 1990s, Dr. Zgaga served the Slovenian Government in a variety of capacities. He was State Secretary for Higher Education (1992-1999), Minister of Education and Sports (1999-2000), and head of a working group on "Education, Training and Youth" during EU accession negotiations (1998-1999). He also signed the Lisbon Recognition Convention (April 1997) and Bologna Declaration (June 1999) on behalf of Slovenia. After returning to academe, he has remained engaged in the Bologna process, serving as general rapporteur (2002-2003) and board member (2004-2005) of the Bologna Follow-up Group.

Dr. Zgaga holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Ljubljana (1988). His teaching and research is focused on the philosophy of education and educational policy. He has published extensively on the development of higher education policy in Slovenia and South Eastern Europe. More recently, he has produced reports on the impacts of the Bologna Process—particularly on university curricula and teacher education.