From the May-August 2010 Issue
Change, but no change, to the School of Biblical Studies
Daniel Webber
Students 2009-10It is that time of year again when I need to prepare some sort of report on the EMF School of Biblical Studies. The current 2009/10 session is rapidly drawing to a close. Indeed, by the time you see this article, the Open Day will have passed and most of the students will have returned to their homes. Moreover, for the past few months we have been busily preparing for the next year, and a fresh intake of students.
A NEW START
Perhaps the most significant first thing to say about next year’s course is that it really will begin next year. Instead of recommencing as usual in September 2010, the new school year is set to begin in January 2011 and run until the end of June. This represents a considerable change for us, our lecturers, and the students. The chief reason for this change is that it seems the best way for us to accommodate new government regulations.
As many will be aware, for several years now a good number of potential students to the school have experienced considerable difficulty obtaining visas to come here. Much of this has been due to the existence of bogus institutions. As a result, the government is now insisting that all schools and colleges wishing to invite students from outside the European Union [EU] must apply for official accreditation for their institution. In response to this new requirement, the EMF has submitted its application for accreditation and received a two-day inspection last October. Since then we have been informed that, subject to a few additional requirements which will soon be in place, we should be granted that accreditation. This however will only allow students from outside the EU to obtain a Student Visa for a six-month period and this is the reason for a switch to a 24-week course (instead of the previous 30 weeks), and the new starting date.
The alternatives to this would mean either (1) retaining the 30-week course and accepting the exclusion of all non-EU residents or (2) in addition to seeking accreditation of the institution, the EMF would have to apply for validation of the course itself. The reason for rejecting the first option is that we want to continue offering places to those living outside the EU. The problem with the second option is that it would not only involve a greater intrusiveness by external bodies (in much the same way as is the case in ordinary schools and colleges), but would demand the kind of English language entrance examination that would preclude many of the students that have most benefited from our course in the past. Therefore, we have decided to recast the school and restrict its time-frame to six months.
ALMOST THE SAME COURSE
However, this will not mean as many changes to the course itself as might be initially feared. By stripping out holidays and external activities, and by introducing a few afternoon lectures, we can offer almost exactly the same course as before. We will of course need to reduce the number of essays to be completed by each student, and introduce several “reading weeks” to give students a break from the intensity of the essay regime. Nevertheless, we are convinced that such a course will be every bit as worthwhile as before, and make the same useful contribution to the lives of the students and the churches from which they come.
I ought also to add that the need to make such changes did not take us by surprise. Even before last year’s inspection, we were already putting together the basic framework for the new course. And right now I am simply putting the final touches to the new timetable and inviting lecturers to continue with the revised scheme. Thus far, the response from lecturers has been very positive, and we are expecting to make contact very soon with those wishing to send students in January 2011. We anticipate that in order to get all the paper-work completed and visas in place, in future all applications will need to be with us by 30 September. Successful applicants will then be informed by mid-October that a place has been reserved for them.
THE 2009/10 YEAR
Finally, to the year that has just past. Due to the change in government regulations, the 2009/10 year was entirely made up of students from within the EU. Most were from a Hungarian-speaking background, even though only two of these actually come from Hungary itself. For only the fourth time in twenty years we had three married couples with us, and this time we had a total mix of seven men and four women. In alphabetical order, the students for this year were Sergio and Evelien Gil (Spain/Nederlands), Zsolt Józsa (Romania), Hunor-Barna Kertész (Romania), Zoltán and Edit Krivács (Romania), Rita Nunes (Portugal), Artur Piotrowski (Poland), István Szabó (Romania), and Bálázs and Csillag Tamás (Hungary).
As is normally the case when students first depart, whilst some were quite clear about their immediate future, others were far from certain. Undertaking a course of studies like this can be both a confirming and an unsettling experience. Therefore, some of the men in particular are going on to do further training for pastoral ministry within their respective countries; others are less certain about the precise details of their future involvement in Christian work. Nevertheless, what is most encouraging is the fact that all are returning to their respective countries and churches with an earnest desire to be even more useful servants within the kingdom of God. For this we are truly grateful. And now for the next lot…