A funny thing happened today on the way to the Apotheke

I was running errands today and found my path blocked by a student demonstration. University students in 20 major German cities including Munich, Berlin and Hamburg walked, waved signs, cheered, played music and disrupted traffic to show their displeasure with changes that the EU is making to the degree system and rising tuition fees. This format is called the Bologna Reform and will provide students the opportunity to transfer credits and have a certain transparency in the 46 European countries that have signed on.

In 2010, the degree system will change to a Bachelor-Master-Doctorate format like we have in the US. A big part of the students issue concerning this is a compressed timeframe to complete their degree and also a fear that a Bachelor's degree will not be enough to keep graduates competative in the marketplace once they graduate. Students are also concerned that education is becoming big business, and not about seeking knowledge.

A large issue of protest is the collection of tuition fees, which universities have been allowed to collect since 2005. Students here see a free education as a basis of a democratic republic and something that they are entitled to have. The average fees range from 100 to 500 euros per semester (approx $150-$750). The student groups are requesting representation in the decision process which affects their studies, but the Education Minister says that the reforms will go into practice and is urging universities to quickly implement the reforms as planned.