Reforms of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Russian Higher Education

Marina M. Lebedeva

MGIMO-University

2014

• Reformsstartedinthefieldofhighereducationin• 1990s

– DevelopmentuniversitiesinRussianregions– Newtextbooksinthefieldofsocialscience– Newfieldsofeducation(PR,politicalscience,IR)

• 2000s• Firststage:RussiajointedBolognaProcess(2003)(alotof

discussions)– Pluses:

• InternationalizationofRussianhighereducation• 3levelssystemofdegreeswereimplemented• Doubledegreediplomas• Mobility(butmainlyfromRussiatoEurope)

– Minuses:• JustEuropeanpartofRussiaisintheArea• Clasterizationoftheuniversities

-Successfuluniversities(areintheArea),unsuccessfuluniversities(areoutoftheArea)

• Secondstage:(Secondhalfof2000)

Reform of Higher Education

• Clasterizationofuniversities– Federaluniversities,nationalresearchuniversities

• Toattractofforeignstudents– Documents

• TheConceptofExportofEducationalServicesoftheRussianFederationfortheperiod2011-2020

– AspecialattentiontostudentsfromCIS• 2004/2005:CIS–36.6%;Asia,Africa,theMiddleEast,LatinAmerica–52%• ConceptofStatePolicyoftheRussianFederationinthefieldofeducationfor

foreigncountries(2002):‘RussiaasamajoreducationalcenterintheCIS’• In2011/2012academicyearRussiangovernmentgranted40.9%of

scholarshipsforstudentsfromCIS(differentnumbers:MEdu:43860studentsfromCIS;MIntern.Aff:3122)

• NetworkuniversityofCISandSCO• Scientificworkofstudentsandteachers

– Researchuniversities– Grantsforprojectswhichinvolvesstudents(MinistryofEducation

andScience)

Reform of Higher Education:Second Stage

SlowdeparturefromBolognaProcess(problemofBolognaprocess)

• CreationRussiancenterforeducationofCISstudents

• Supportof‘stronguniversities’withgoodscientificschools

The Results of Reforms in Russia

If Russia Needs Reforms of Science?

• Twoapproaches:– ofRussiansciencehasagoodquality.Weneedjust

improvements.WeneedtokeepRussiantraditions– Weneedradicalreforms

• Whathastobereformed?Twokeyissues:– Financingsystem– Managementsystem

Financing: How it Worked in the Past?

1.Financing– Budgetfinancing.Lackoffinance– RASwasownerofpropertywithgood

location.Mostpartofpropertywasforrentout• Results:minimumwagebutforeverybody

2.ProjectsandGrants(somescholars).NewRealitywhichstartedfrom1990s

– ForeignFoundations– RussianFoundations

Promises of Increasing of Financing

• V.Putinin2013:

– Until2020:834billionsrublesforfundamentalstudies

– 2014-2016:48billionsrubleswillbetransfertoRussianScienceFoundation

Management in the Past

•Inthepast:separationscienceandeducation•InstitutesofRASdecidedbythemselvesregardingscientificprojects,scientificapproachesetc.

• RussianFoundationswereestablished– RussianScienceFoundation(2014)

• UniversityonthebasisofRASwascreated• NowmanyscholarsofRASteachatRussian

universities• Scientometricindicatorswerecreated(e-

library-http://elibrary.ru/defaultx.asp)• FederalAgencyofScientificOrganizations

wasfounded(http://fano.gov.ru/ru/)–TheHead–MrKotyukov(themostcontroversialaspectofreform).

What Has Been Done

• Thecommontendenciesinreformsinthehighereducationandinscience:

– Fromsocial-democraticmodeltoneoliberalmodel:

• Tosupportthestrongest(departurefromsocialorientation)

• Clasterization– AttentiontoRussiancentersandRussiaas

CIScenter– Centralizationofmanagementandfinance

Conclusion

• Differentstates–differentvectors– Balticstates– Kazakhstan

• MemberofBolognaprocess• Nazarbayevuniversity

• PossibleroleofBalticstates– CaseofLatvia

• MemberofBolognaprocess• MemberofEU• KnowledgeofRussianlanguage,Russiansystemof

education

Vectors and Possibilitiesin the Field of Higher Education

Why the Bologna Process and EHEA were needed

• In1990sEuropewasbehindotherregionsinusingtechnicalinnovations(USA,Japan,SA)

• Europeanunifiedeconomyneededaharmonizedhighereducationarea

• Europelostitsfirstpositionineducation(thenumberofEuropeanstudentsstudyingintheUSAexceededthenumberofAmericanstudentsstudyinginEurope)

• HighereducationisapartofculturaltraditioninEurope