Regional
Bologna Doesn’t Work for Post-Soviet Countries
The Bologna process is not suited for the shared history of post-communist states and their socialist legacies, argues Arevik Ohabyan in the current issue of International Higher Education.
In “The Bologna Declaration: An explanation,” prepared by the Confederation of European Union Rectors’ conferences and the Association of European Universities [1], the Bologna process is described as a “common European answer to common European problems.”
However, a different issue is whether the Bologna process as a European response can be effective when applied to ‘post-communist problems.’ Ohabyan argues that the Bologna process, as a top-down process, is poorly positioned to accommodate the shared history of post-communist states and their socialist legacies.
Several factors complicate the successful implementation of the Bologna process in the post-communist area. These include poor governance and weak institutions. The successful implementation of the Bologna process assumes a democratic organizational culture characterized by a decentralized administration, whereas the post-communist world inherited institutions of higher education that are highly centralized and opaque in their governance.
With regards to the mobility objectives of Bologna, Ohabyan states the process has articulated ‘self-centered and Eurocentric policies, but is poorly tailored to consider the developmental needs of the signatory countries beyond Western Europe.’ Furthermore, Ohabyan argues, Bologna is more about brain gain than brain circulation between developed and developing nations, which can be particularly disastrous for small economies.
Ohabyan concludes by stating that treating ‘the Bologna system only as structural-institutional reform can weaken the educational systems in post-Soviet countries, unless policy-makers recognize that reforms at the organizational level in universities are equally important.’
– International Higher Education [2]
Spring 2011
Russia
Universities as Tech Incubators
The Russian government is encouraging universities to start small technology companies as part of an effort to rebuild Russian research capacity and innovation. The move is designed to close the gap between academe and business, and also to help students gain real-world job experience.
In 2009, the government passed a law allowing universities to open technology businesses that could be backed by private investors and government financing, and could also legally develop and profit from innovative technology ideas.
The law is meant to help solve some of the country’s economic problems. Unemployment in Russia rose in January to its highest level in four years, according to the Federal Statistics Service. With many college graduates unable to find work, Russian leaders are keen on better connecting universities with industry to spur job creation.
The government is spending US$200 million to create a Russian “Silicon Valley,” and in September, several Russian research universities started working with four American institutions—the University of Maryland at College Park [3], Purdue University [4], the University of California at Los Angeles [5], and the University of Washington [6]—to learn about technology transfer. The effort to get universities to start small businesses so far has helped foster the creation of more than 330 ventures.
– The Chronicle of Higher Education [7]
March 15, 2011
Deputy Rector of Prestigious Business School Sentenced to Jail Time Over Corruption Charges
In the latest prosecution for bribe taking by Russian university officials, a Moscow court has sentenced the deputy rector of the prestigious Russian State University of Management to seven years’ probation.
The court also ordered a fine of one million rubles (US$35,000) on the defendant, Alexander Asyutin. Prosecutors say he had solicited a bribe from a construction company in the bidding for repairing a roof on the campus.
Other recent cases involved university officials who extracted bribes from students for passing grades on entry exams, among other things. Among the dozen or so rectors, deputy rectors, and deans sentenced in the past six months are the deputy rector of Moscow State University of Culture and Arts [8], Vladimir Dolgopoly, who received four years, and the rector of Omsk State University [9], Nikolai Kazaching, who got three years and six months of probation for 13 instances of taking bribes from students.
– The Chronicle of Higher Education [10]
March 23, 2011
Tajikistan
Returned Madrasah Students Finding it Hard to Transfer
RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports that only 60 of the approximately 1,200 Tajik students who returned to Tajikistan after abandoning their studies at Islamic universities and madrasahs abroad have been admitted to Tajik universities.
Muhammad Karimzod, a professor at Tajikistan’s Islamic University, told RFE/RL that some 25 students who have returned to Tajikistan will be admitted to that university in the next few weeks. Karimzod acknowledged that the academic level of students who returned from Islamic countries is higher than at the Islamic University because they had better conditions for study and research.
Despite the criticism, Tajik authorities are interested in bringing students home from Islamic countries, in particular those currently studying at illegal universities and madrasahs, and the students who went abroad without state sponsorship. The return of Tajik students from Muslim countries began in August after Tajik President Emomali Rahmon advised parents to bring their children home because students at illegal Islamic schools often “fall under the influence of extremists and become [our] enemies.”
– RFE/RL [11]
March 26, 2011
Turkmenistan
Foreign Degrees to Be Recognized
For a number of years, the energy-rich central Asian nation of Turkmenistan has actively sought to prevent its citizens from studying abroad. No longer. According to recent reports by state television, Turkmen president Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov announced that the government will now recognize and employ graduates of foreign universities.
Until now, international graduates have been barred from getting state jobs. But with Berdymukhamedov’s declaration that their expertise is needed for the implementation of ongoing large-scale reforms within the country, it seems that their value is finally being recognized.
Under the rule of eccentric former president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in 2006, only degrees obtained at select foreign state universities were officially recognized. In addition, there was a government quota allowing only 200 students per year to study in universities which had bilateral agreements with Turkmenistan. And although Berdymukhamedov has introduced limited educational reforms since taking power, Turkmens have still been discouraged from studying abroad.
– Associated Press [12]
March 19, 2011
Ukraine
University Mergers in the Works
If the provisions of a new education law are adopted, as is expected, the number of institutions of higher education in Ukraine is likely to be cut considerably. Dmitry Tabachnik, Ukraine’s Minister of Education, said that there was a possibility that the reduction of universities may take place in the form of voluntary mergers.
“Ukraine cannot have more than 900 higher education institutions,” Tabachnik commented.
“This is not a whim of the government, but a premonition of the collapse of the whole system. Currently, Ukraine has more universities than in Italy, France, Germany, Poland and Belgium put together, where the combined population is more than 250 million, compared to Ukraine’s 45 million people.”
The universities to be closed or merged have not yet been disclosed. But according to sources close to the Ukrainian government, there is a possibility that some well-known state universities, not only private institutions whose number has dramatically increased since the collapse of the Soviet Union, could be among them.
Another government initiative is to give greater autonomy and financial independence to universities. Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s President has said the government may give universities the right to design their own academic programs without state intervention and to design and change their organizational structures.
– University World News [13]
April 3, 2011