On 5 July 2012, the Flemish Parliament approved a reform of higher education. The Bologna Declaration of 1999 proposed a reform of European education and introduced bachelor's and master's degrees. Starting with the academic year 2013–2014, Flemish higher education programs were integrated into the universities (academization). Colleges in the city and province of Antwerp were merged and a gender balance was introduced in many boards: [3] [4] • Academization eliminates the difference between academic programs at universities and academic-level programs at universities of applied sciences. The 22,000 students involved will not be physically relocated, but the universities will be responsible for the education and research policy, the quality assurance, the personnel policy and the issuing of the diplomas. The personnel involved make the transition to the university while retaining rights and obligations. The academic art courses are an exception and remain specific because of their specific character within the colleges of higher education. In order to properly supervise academization, there will be a School of Arts, a separate structure in which the universities also sit. • In October 2013, new pluralist colleges were created through mergers with greater autonomy for their operation and composition. Artesis and Plantijn were merged in Antwerp. Pascale de Groote became general director of the AP Hogeschool Antwerp, she was department head of the
Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp from 2001 to 2013. == Sources ==