Belarus

Authorities Shutter Independent University

Belarusian authorities ordered the closure of one of the country’s only privately funded universities, it was reported in late July. European Humanities University (EHU) is the second university to be shuttered in the past year; authorities closed the country’s only institution teaching Jewish studies in fall 2003.

EHU, which opened in 1992, had approximately 1,300 students and was funded largely by European educational foundations, European countries and the United Nations.

Belarus, however, has become increasingly isolated as President Alexander Lukashenka has cracked down on dissent over a decade in power. The government objected, in particular, to EHU’s extensive program of academic exchanges and visiting lecturers that, in the words of one official, were turning it into a “walk-through” courtyard. In March, Lukashenka called for education reforms to strengthen the teaching of state ideology (see March/April 2004 WENR), declaring that a “battle for the minds of our people” is waging in the country.

EHU had consistently maintained its academic autonomy in the face of increasing state pressure to compromise its independence. On Aug. 23, the Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit brought by EHU, effectively confirming the legality of the ministry’s move to close EHU on the grounds that the school did not have large enough premises to hold classes. The same day, EHU representatives met with officials from Belarusian State University, which has also been fighting to maintain an element of autonomy (see November/December 2003 WENR) to discuss details for possible student transfers. Many foreign universities that had exchange agreements with EHU have expressed their concern, and institutions from Poland, Germany and the United States have offered free places to stranded students. These offers are of particular importance because many EHU programs have no parallel in the Belarusian state system.

— The Guardian
July 28, 2004
— RFE/RL
Aug. 24, 2004

New University Inaugurated

President Alexander Lukashenka on Sept. 1 attended the opening of a new state university in Baranavichy, a city of 130,000 in Brest Oblast, it was reported. The university expects to enroll approximately 5,000 students, who will train to become engineers, educators, lawyers, economists and agronomists.

— RFE/RL
Sept. 2, 2004

Kazakhstan

Students, Parents Protest Proposed Tuition Fee Hike

Recently announced plans to increase university tuition fees were met with outrage by students and parents, who say any raise in tuition will prevent them from continuing or entering further education. For now, the public outcry seems to have forced the Education Ministry to alter its policy, saying the increases will not be as high as was first suggested.

The proposed increase is part of a wide-ranging reform package intended to elevate the education system to international standards by 2010. The plan was to increase fees two- or threefold to US$2,000 to US$2,500 a year, while increasing the cost of annual doctoral programs to US$9,000. The current average monthly wage is approximately US$200.

Few people argue against the need for the reform of a system that constantly ranks near the bottom in a list of 216 national education systems and that has failed to gain recognition in many European countries for its university diplomas. However, as witnessed by large-scale protests Aug. 25 outside government buildings, few believe the answer lies in tuition hikes. Many students say they are already under pressure because universities have been raising fees without consultation, and many warn that increased fees would likely encourage more talented students to go to Russia or further abroad to study.

— Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Sept. 3, 2004

Kyrgyzstan

Private Universities Poorly Prepare Osh Students

Private universities in Osh, the main city in southern Kyrgyzstan, have been opening at an average rate of one a year, reports the Institute for War and Peace, but most are falling short of delivering value for money in terms of the quality of instruction. Many students find themselves paying their way through college only to receive a substandard education that has little chance of securing them employment.

Osh has 11 universities catering to more than 100,000 students. These institutions compete fiercely for students, who often end up enrolling in irrelevant or poorly taught classes that leave graduates poorly prepared for the labor market. Another problem is the propensity for students to bribe their way through examinations and essentially buy their diplomas in fields where there is little demand. According to Erkin Dosmatov, an Institute for War and Peace source, the education system is churning out large numbers of economists, lawyers and interpreters with few real skills. He says 40,000 lawyers alone graduate in Kyrgyzstan each year, with very little chance of finding a job in the legal field.

— Institute for War and Peace
Aug. 3, 2004

Nationwide Independent Admissions Exam Launched

Officials are hoping a new standardized university-entrance examination will eliminate opportunities for corruption. Because of the varying standards of schools in Kyrgyzstan, the examination does not test knowledge but instead measures aptitude. It seeks to identify students with the best potential to succeed at the university level.

The examination is not offered by the state, but by an independent agency with funding from the U.S. government. It is hoped that an independent agency – unlike a ministry – has an incentive to maintain popular trust; if it loses that trust, it likely will go out of business.

This year, for the first time, the test was given to all prospective university students. Approximately 38,000 students completed the exam in 40 locations throughout the country.

President Askar Akaev’s support of the examination was crucial to its implementation last year, when the Education Ministry unsuccessfully bid to administer the test.

— RFE/RL
July 7, 2004

Moldova/Trans-Dniester

School Closures Latest Volley in Regional Autonomy Dispute

A row over the use of language in schools has caused the occupation and closure of schools in the breakaway region of Transdniester. Moldovan is the majority language in Moldova, except in that Slavic separatist region, where Russian and Ukrainian are the languages of the majority. Those advocating the use of Cyrillic script have now begun closing schools that teach in Moldovan. This move has sparked protest by teachers and students, as well as strong criticism from the European Union and the OSCE, which has labeled the closures ”linguistic cleansing.”

Transdniester authorities said in late July they have earmarked seven schools for closure because they teach Moldovan using the Latin alphabet. The controversy is the latest flareup in a dispute that goes back more than a decade. Transdniester broke away from Moldova in 1990, and the two sides fought a short war in 1992. But the region has no international recognition, and efforts to resolve the dispute have so far failed. Russian troops, which helped quell the 1992 war, remain there despite Moscow’s promise five years ago to remove them.

Leaders of the breakaway enclave, 58 percent of whose 700,000 people speak Russian or Ukrainian, have declared Moldovan a foreign language and say the targeted schools must register as private institutions. The schools were about to adopt the new rules when the closures began without explanation.

— RFE/RL
July 30, 2004

Moldova to Join Bologna Process

The Bologna-Bergen Web site reports that in a letter dated June 2, 2004, from Minister of Education Valentin Beniuc to Bologna Follow-up Group Chair Ian McKenna, the Republic of Moldova has formally proclaimed its intention to join the Bologna Process.

— Bologna-Bergen Web site
July 2, 2004

Ukraine

Business School Earns International Accreditation

The International Management Institute (IMI) in Kiev has become the first business school in Ukraine (and only the third school in the former Soviet Union) to receive the International Quality Award (IQA), the accreditation certification developed by the Central European Management Development Association (CEEMAN). After peer review in April, IMI was awarded unconditional accreditation for a five-year period.

IMI implemented a number of measures to meet the accreditation requirements, including a formalized research policy (with guidelines on time and resources allocated), and provision of additional faculty development programs, with more promotion of those with doctorates for young faculty. Relationships with corporate partners have also been given a more standardized policy, and in international relations, emphasis has been moved to the creation of joint programs together with other business schools, rather than simple exchange visits for students and faculty.

— Financial Times
July 5, 2004

State Opens, Closes, Renames Finance Colleges

The Ministry of Finance recently announced reorganization measures at a number of finance schools:

• The Ukrainian State Academy of Finance is to be renamed the Ukrainian State University of Economics and Finance.
• The Bukovinsk State Institute of Finance and Economics will be renamed Bukovinsk State Academy of Finance.
• The Dnepropetrovsk State Institute of Finance and Economics will be renamed the Dnepropetrovsk State Academy of Finance.
• The Lviv State Institute of Finance and economics will become Lviv State Academy of Finance.
• The following schools are to be shuttered: Donetsk Technical College of Economics, Odessa College of Finance and Economics and Kharkov College of Finance and Economics (Kharkov and Donetsk branches).
• The above-mentioned schools are to be replaced by branches of the Ukrainian State University of Economics and Finance in Donetsk, Odessa and Kharkov.

— Forinsurer
July 29, 2004