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Regional

E-Library Goes Online

An e-library, designed to give researchers from former Soviet republics access to electronic journals and databases, is now online. Researchers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan can use the service until at least mid-2005.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
March 26, 2003

Kazakhstan

Majority of Higher Education Institutions Shuttered

The Ministry of Education has more than halved the number of institutions of higher education over the last two years, ministry official Maksat Kalimoldaev announced May 13.

In 2001, there were approximately 350 institutions of higher education. Today, there are 170, of which 32 are state institutions, according to Kalimoldaev. He added that the reduction is the result of institutions not meeting standards. Almost all higher education institutions are calling themselves “universities,” even if they are not conducting basic research and lack the facilities to do so, according to Kalimoldaev.

Ongoing inspections can result in the downgrading of an institution’s status, or in extreme cases, in its closure. The primary objective of the ministry’s inspection is to ensure that universities provide genuinely elite education, the official noted.

— RFE/RL
May 14, 2003

Kyrgyzstan

Economic Crisis Fuels Brain Drain

Few prospects exist for skilled graduates in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, as a dismal economic situation forces most to look for work elsewhere – and more often than not, in Russia.

The situation is causing concern at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavonic University in Bishkek, set up a decade ago by the governments of both countries, and regarded as one of the best in the nation. The university is monitored and controlled by the Russian Education Ministry, so standards are as high as any in Russia and, consequently, it attracts some of the best lecturers in the republic.

Scholarships are available to a very select few, but most pay fees of around US$600-US$800 a year – cheap in comparison to the English-language American University, where fees are more than double. Many see the costs as justified due to the high quality of education, but more importantly because of the opportunities that a Russian-recognized degree represents for their future.

Kyrgyz undergraduates are allowed to transfer to a Russian university after they have completed certain supplementary courses, and now exchange programs exist with colleges in Germany, China and Sweden, too. Reportedly, the vast majority of exchange students never return from their year abroad; they prefer to take their chances in Moscow or Beijing than face a future waiting tables in Bishkek.

Employment agencies are now dealing with many Slavonic graduates eager to move away from Kyrgyzstan, and the human rights organization Open Viewpoint believes that the exodus is set to continue. “Slavonic University will continue to prepare workers for other countries until Krygyzstan pulls itself out of its deep economic crisis,” according to Open Viewpoint. “The departure of so many talented young people feeds a vicious cycle that deprives the nation of the very people who could contribute to its revival.”

— Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Feb. 20, 2003

Russia

Dagestani Students Turning to Islamic Education

Faced with ever worsening levels of corruption at state colleges, many Dagestani students are choosing new Islamic institutions of higher education.

Liberalization of Russia’s education system, coupled with a great demand for higher education, has led to a boom in private universities across the Russian federation. In Dagestan, Islamic colleges are especially popular with students from rural and poorer backgrounds, as these institutions often provide financial help to struggling students.

According to the Dagestani government’s committee on religion, there are 17 Islamic colleges in the republic enrolling approximately 5,000 students. To some, this is a problem because the network of colleges is largely unregulated and potentially dangerous — only seven of the 17 are licensed. To others, these schools are filling an important gap by providing education to an underclass in society and not, as some would have it, fuelling Islamic fundamentalism.

The state’s — unproven — belief that many of the Islamic colleges are financed from abroad has been enough to raise suspicion. In addition, the Russian Education Ministry’s recent insistence that all new Islamic colleges be accredited has given rise to accusations of discrimination.

— Institute for War and Peace Reporting
May 22, 2003

New Zealand a Hot Destination for Russian Students

A 14-day promotional trip to Russia in March by members of the Trade New Zealand-backed Russia Education Export Network (REEN) has proved to be a success. Hundreds of Russian students are expected to enroll with education providers in the island nation in the coming months.

According to REEN officials, approximately 70 student-visa applications are being received by the New Zealand Embassy each month, compared to approximately 70 each year before REEN began promotional activities in 2002. In a statement, REEN Chairman Peter Wilkins said new enrollments had already been received as a result of the trip, and hundreds more are expected later this year. Russia has the potential to become one of the top six source markets for foreign students in New Zealand, Wilkins said. In 2002, there were 308 Russian students in New Zealand, ranking Russia 18th among student source markets.

— INL Newspapers
May 14, 2003

Online Computer Science University Launched

The Internet University of Computer Science has opened to satisfy the demand for computer science education programs and training courses.

The Moscow-based institution is providing educational services through the Internet at www.intuit.ru, and is developing its own curriculum and more than 100 courses, as well as publishing computer manuals. The courses are focused on basic education in computer science rather than on mastering particular commercial systems.

All course offerings are subjected to mandatory certification and the appraisal of leading universities and colleges.

— Europemedia.net
April 10, 2003

Russian Academics Protest Increasing Number of U.S. Visa Denials

Russian academics have launched a campaign against what they describe as “cultural fascism,” in response to perceived discrimination in the issuance of U.S. visas.

The Russian American Public Visa Council, set up by aggrieved university lecturers, plans to lobby embassy officials on behalf of Russians denied visas to work or study in the United States. The group claims that 60,000 Russians, or one in four applicants, have been denied visas in the past 18 months. It is concerned by the rejection of academics who have already spent time in the United States and are now unable to retrieve libraries and research materials built up during earlier visits.

The council, which has 100 members, said the rejections seem to have increased at a time when U.S.-Russian relations have vastly improved. The 25 percent visa-rejection rate is higher than in European countries, which average about 3 percent, according to the council.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
March 21, 2003

Moscow Looking to Gain Foothold in Asian Market

Prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, thousands of students from the Indian subcontinent were studying in the region. Now, it seems, the newly formed Russian republic is trying to recapture a slice of the Asian market in an aggressive marketing campaign.

Russia’s Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and Tula State University were among the institutions participating in a three-week tour of Malaysian cities, and, in India, the Russian Center of Science and Culture of New Delhi recently held a news conference promoting Russia as a quality destination for further studies.

MSU is in the process of obtaining accreditation for its various programs with the Malaysian Ministry of Education and hopes to have this accomplished within six months. This move, it is hoped, will add to the current 400 Malaysian students enrolled at institutions in Moscow.

— Overseas, Overwhelmed
May 21, 2003

Tajikistan

Compulsory Russian-Language Study Reintroduced

Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov has ordered the reintroduction of compulsory Russian language study in Tajik schools beginning in September, the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper reported May 22.

The decision stems from the fact that Tajik men wanting to enter Russian military service generally have poor Russian-language skills. In addition, the same problem confronts thousands of Tajik laborers who go to Russia seeking work.

One serious stumbling block is that Tajikistan has almost no Russian-language textbooks. A campaign to collect textbooks has been organized in 10 Russian regions, according to the article, which urges Russian publishing houses and newspaper readers to contribute.

— Eurasianet
May 23, 2003

Turkmenistan

Spiritual Education Policy Marks its 10th Year

A brief commentary broadcast by state-run television on May 3 recalled the milestones of the country’s New Education Policy on its 10th anniversary. The reform package, drawn up by President Saparmurat Niazov, includes as part of the national curriculum the allocation of school hours for the study of national history and the Ruhnama — a spiritual guide written by Niazov — as “the sources of national identity.”

“The education system staff, guided by the sacred Ruhnama’s spiritual light, are forming ideas of high morality and patriotism in young hearts and minds,” the broadcast said. The presenter recited some passages from a message sent by Niazov to mark the anniversary: “The New Education Policy is a firm step on the road of national revival, combining general school education with life experience, and the theoretical education with vocational training in high schools.”

There are more than 1,700 schools and 1 million students in Turkmenistan. There are another 16,000 students at vocational schools. All of them “are learning their spiritual roots from the Ruhnama, cherished by our people as a sacred source,” the report said.

The New Education Policy has “promoted better education for a generation of Turkmens of the golden age,” the commentary concluded.

— Eurasianet.org
May 5, 2003

Foreign-Trained Teachers Get the Boot

Teachers who earned their degrees from foreign institutions of higher education after 1993 are being fired from schools throughout the country, centrasia.ru reports.

The unemployed teachers have reportedly traveled to the capital, Ashgabat, to find out why they were dismissed, because the officials who gave them their marching orders could not produce any published orders justifying their actions. It is presumed that the orders came from oral remarks by President Saparmurat Niazov, which were reported by the Russian human rights group Memorial on April 6.

Those teachers who were not fired must pass an examination on Niazov’s Ruhnama, a rambling account of the president’s views on Turkmen history and traditions, to stay employed as educators.

— Centrasia
April 16, 2003

School Services Cut as Thirst for Power Continues

Human rights activists are accusing the Turkmen government of trimming school services in an apparent attempt to dumb down its people and strengthen the stranglehold of President-for-Life Saparmurat Niazov.

Children start their school day by studying the Niazov-authored “Rukhnama,” or “Book of the Soul,” which is held up as a sacred text, and the president’s ruminations permeate their other subjects. The government justifies its education policies as necessary to develop an independent Turkmen identity after decades of Soviet rule. As in other former Soviet republics, authorities have severely cut Russian-language instruction, and English is increasingly the preferred second language.

Turkmenistan has 14 Turkish-financed schools and a university – the International Turkmen Turkish University – that offer good instruction, but they are the bright spots and are not indicative of the system and are available only to the privileged few. The duration of primary and secondary education was cut last year from 10 years to nine, and about 12,000 teachers across the nation of 5 million people were fired two years ago. The Academy of Sciences was abolished, and several research institutes were shuttered.

Universities accept only about 3,000 students a year, a 10th of the number before independence. College classes have been cut back, and humanities classes were dropped if not directly related to professional training. Niazov declared the classes “abstract” and “far from real life.”

The only growth at universities has been in the newly established Guardians Institutes, where teachers train to teach the “Rukhnama.”

— Associated Press
June 11, 2003

Uzbekistan

Russian Ambassador: ‘Uzbek Textbooks Too Anti-Russian’

Russian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Dmitrii Ryurikov said on March 11 that history textbooks used in Uzbek schools contain “unprecedented anti-Russian bias,” centrasia.ru reported.

The comments were made at an international conference on objectivity in history. Ryurikov singled out the textbooks’ concentration on Russia’s plundering of local inhabitants and the killing of women and children. The issue of anti-Russian bias has been raised with the Uzbek Education Ministry, he said, but the textbooks remain in use.

There has been a massive revision of the country’s history since Uzbekistan became an independent state. Many Uzbek intellectuals have objected to the exclusively negative portrayals of the Russian and Soviet periods.

— Centrasia
March 12, 2003