Armenia
School Reforms Under Fire
A shakeup of the school system, in which nearly 5,000 Armenian teachers have lost their jobs, has come under criticism from international observers. Many teachers have complained they were sacked merely because their headmaster did not like them.
The layoffs are part of a school “optimization” program, under which Armenia has been given a long-term loan of US$19 million by the World Bank as part of its Educational Quality and Relevance Project. In the first stage of the rationalization program, which ended in January, 4,600 of 56,000 teachers lost their jobs. The second wave of job cuts will cull another thousand between May and September. Of the country’s 1,428 schools, 35 have been closed so far.
The reforms have left those still employed uncertain about their future and those sacked feeling bitter. Results of a teacher opinion poll conducted by the Armenian Sociological Society shows most believe the reforms are unjust and divisive. Education Minister Sergo Yeritsian suggested that one of the reasons for the layoffs was that falling student numbers have reduced the hours many teachers work. “We had to resolve this discrepancy even if by such unpopular means,” he said.
The ministry says 27 percent of those who lost their jobs did not have proper training and 24 percent were not working in their specialized field. Armenia’s education reforms date to 1998, but no one claims to be their author. “Who will take responsibility for yet another experiment if it fails?” asked Yerevan resident Nina Sarkisian, reflecting the feelings of many.
— Institute for War and Peace [1]
Feb. 26, 2004
Belarus
President Dictates to Belarusian Higher Education
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka met March 19 with the Republican Council of Rectors of Higher Educational Institutions, a body he created in 2001, to brief the council on education. Lukashenka discussed his thoughts on the role of the state in universities and colleges, and told the rectors what they need to do to reflect state policies in the educational process more fully.
According to Lukashenka, universities in Belarus have already improved their educational processes, which preserve “all the best” from the Soviet-era educational system and draw on some experience of European and world universities.
A modified Soviet-era component of university education recently was introduced: an obligatory course called “Fundamental Ideology of the Belarusian State” (see WENR [2] September/October 2003). The course is seen by many in Belarus to be a present-day incarnation of the Soviet-era subject called “The History of the CPSU.” On the eve of the new class, the newspaper Belarus Today revealed that the necessary textbooks had not yet been written. Regardless, officials from the Education Ministry said the lecturers for the new courses had been specially trained at the Presidential Academy of Management and the Republican Institute of Higher Education and could “manage quite well without the textbook.” The fact that lecturers are being trained at an establishment directly answerable to the president is widely seen in university circles as a further blow to academic autonomy.
— RFE/RL [3]
March 23, 2004
Kyrgyzstan
Troubles Continue at American University
Funding for the American University in Bishkek [4] (AUCA), one of the biggest educational institutions in Central Asia, may be under threat after a management crisis and allegations of interference by the Kyrgyz government. On Feb. 19, four of the six U.S. members of the university’s board of trustees released a dramatic statement that recommended the funding for the institution be suspended because it was “no longer independent.”
The four Americans said the board is being used as a tool for government interference in the institution, posing a threat to its independence, a charge the Kyrgyz president’s office fiercely denied. The allegations refer specifically to the way the board of trustees is being run, allegedly with some members being pressured by the authorities. There are also nine Kyrgyz members on the board. However, problems at the university not only involve the board, but also the staff. A recent clash involved AUCA President David Huwiler – an American – and Provost Camilla Sharshekeeva, who served a six-month stint as education minister in 2002.
Huwiler maintains the problems occurred when the provost returned to campus and objected to ongoing reforms that include transparent hiring policies and an anti-nepotism policy. Sharshekeeva disagrees, stating that Huwiler had not gained an understanding of the way things are done in Kyrgyzstan. The conflict apparently was resolved Feb. 16, when the board announced its solution – both president and provost were sent on sabbatical leave, effective March 15. With more than 1,000 students from 27 countries currently enrolled, the school is a showcase for Kyrgyzstan. Many observers believe the crisis could be extremely damaging to the university’s hard-earned reputation.
— Institute for War and Peace Reporting [1]
Feb. 20, 2004
Russia
Indian Institution Heads to Russia
The International Institute of Information Technology [5] (I2IT) has signed an agreement with the Russian-Indian Center for Advanced Computing Research [6] to launch I2IT master’s and doctoral programs in advanced information technology and also in emerging technologies such as biotechnology and nanotechnology.
— Hindu Business Line [7]
Jan. 22, 2004
Putin Backs Standardized School-Leaving Tests
President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for standardized school-leaving examinations aimed at tackling corruption in higher education. Putin gave his backing for unified state exams that combine school matriculation with a scorecard for university entrance during a live televised nationwide address in January. The examinations would replace individual university entrance exams.
He said the full introduction of the exams, which are being piloted in 64 of Russia’s 89 regions, would tackle deeply entrenched corruption in higher-education admissions. The black market in bribes and cash payments made to lecturers from prospective students is estimated to be worth as much as US$1.8 billion a year. Not surprisingly, many university lecturers are against the planned reform. A parliamentary decision on continuing and expanding the project will be made later this year.
— The Times Higher Education Supplement [8]
Jan.16, 2004
Pedagogy High on List of Reforms
Over seven decades of communism, education played an important part in preparing children for their place in society. Young people left school with a good grasp of the basics, drilled into them by traditional teaching methods. Since the Soviet collapse, Russia has taken part in international comparisons in which its secondary students have performed well above the international average for mathematics and science. However, Vladimir Putin’s government is not happy with the system and is looking abroad for models of new teaching methods that they believe will improve young people’s creativity and entrepreneurial skills.
Teachers are being retrained in the new “methodics” to develop initiative and self-reliance in pupils on the initiative of recently replaced Education Minister Vladimir Fillipov. The plan is to introduce choice into the curriculum so students can specialize in four or five subjects instead of the present 12 to 14, and encourage the growth of new subjects such as law, economics and citizenship. The new methodology will cover primary through secondary education. If instituted, the major concern is that traditional discipline might be replaced with the worst consequences of the child-centered discovery learning that has left many Western pupils struggling to read, write and do mental arithmetic.
— The Telegraph [9]
Feb. 28, 2004
Bologna Process Creates a Stir
Forthcoming reform in light of Russia’s accession to the so-called Bologna Process, which the country signed in September 2003, is an acute problem that is being extensively discussed by Russian society. As in Europe, some people support the reform, some are in doubt and others disagree with it.
Champions of the reform point to the big advantage of having greater recognition of Russian credentials across Europe, although many academics in the hard sciences say graduates from well-respected Russian institutions such as Moscow State University [10] are openly welcomed by the rest of Europe for their talents. Apparently, it is no coincidence that Russia’s accession to the Bologna Process is mostly advocated by those academics in the humanities. The positions of rectors of two major Russian universities provide insight into the dichotomy of opinion.
The rector of St. Petersburg State University [11], Lyudmila Verbitskaya, a philologist, believes modularization of higher education would give students greater freedom in choosing their study paths. The rector of Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichy, a mathematician, worries that reforms would lower Russian education standards.
— Russian Information Agency Novosti [12]
March 30, 2004