Transnational Education in the Slovak Republic: Threat or Challenge?

Abstract

This article discusses the pros and cons of transnational higher education offerings from the vantage point of a small Central European country, the Slovak Republic, and with special reference to franchising. Transnational higher education offerings are definitely needed, not only in the Slovak Republic, but in the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe as well, existing national higher education systems and institutions not being sufficiently developed to cope with increasing enrolment pressures. But there need to be adequate safeguards against fraudulent offerings, debased standards, and other such problems. The implantation of two franchised campuses of City University, Bellevue, Washington (USA) is cited as a very positive example of a foreign higher education institution that has been able to successfully integrate itself into the fabric of Slovak higher education by faithfully complying with all Slovak higher education regulations and offering high-quality course programmes.