(AIEC)

RECTOR’S REPORT AT REGIONAL WORKSHOP FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

1 General Information

Kazakhstan national companies like the KEGOG, Kazakhtelekom and some others influenced the process of the AIEC transformation and development in positive way when they started to pay for education of their students. The status of the AIEC also experienced changes – in the FSU it was a public HEI called Alma-Ata Energy Institute. Then it was transformed into Education and Scientific Complex of Energy and Telecommunication. Now it is a non-public HEI called Almaty Institute of Energy and Communication.

2 Quantitative information in comparison to other HEIs of Kazakhstan:

2.1 Total enrolment: 3,622 students

Full-time Department Enrolment: 2,244

Correspondence Department Enrolment: 1,378

2.2 Total academic staff: 331 employees

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2.2.1 Number of scientific and administrative personnel:

The number of full-time academic staff totals 271 employees. The institution attracts 30-40 joint-appointments from other HEIs. Mostly they are teachers and specialists in different sectors of economy and their qualifications are certified by respective papers.

Qualitative Information:

Number of Professors (doctors of science), docents (PHDs), Chiefs of Laboratories (PHDs), Leading Scientists (PHDs), Senior Scientists (PHDs) is over 150.

Administrative personnel consists of 62 employees.

2.3 Number of education programs:

The following education programs, education modes and training periods depending on basic education of students can be pointed out:

Education Programs:

Full-time department programs (specialties) (5 year training): 33

Full-time department programs (3 year training): 31

Correspondence department programs (6 year training): 12

Correspondence department programs (4 year training): 6

Number of education programs for master degree (1 year training): 7
Number of college education programs (3 year training for 11 grade finishers): 3

Number of education programs for full-time and correspondence mode: 4

Number of education programs for students with higher education: 2

Total : 98

Training courses:

Specialists qualification upgrade training courses: 30

2.4 Finance sources and budget:

Actually the AEIC is funded by the republican budget. These funds are allocated for education of the students including those of master and post-graduate departments according to the state projection. Some funds come as revenues for education services, scientific research, qualifications upgrade training courses, premises rent and some other marketable services.

2.4. 1 Funds from the republican budget:

The following education programs are funded by the Republican budget:

- students training in national HEIS funded by the state education grants and the state education loans;

- scientists and academic staff training;

- stipends to scientific, academic staff and students;

- fundamental and applied scientific researches.

2.4.2 Non-budgetary funding:

Non-budgetary activity of the HEI is the main sources of its development.

Non-budgetary funds are the HEIs revenue for pay education services, premises rent, hotels rooms rent, specialists training and retraining courses, scientific research and other services provided by the HEI. About 70% of this revenue is the payment for pay education services. This can be explained by high rates for education which 2-2,5 times as much as the budgetary funds allocated to the HEI.

The percentages of students who are trained according to the state projection and pay students at the full-time department are 70% and 30% accordingly. All students of the correspondence department pay for the education. So the percentage of pay students and those funded by the budget is 50/50%.

On the whole the HEI budget increased by 7 times from the date of its foundation and amounted to 397 800 tenge in 2001. 93, 400 tenge is allocated from the republican budget, 301, 400 tenge are non-budgetary funds compared with the budget of 1997 (56,900 tenge) 33, 100 tenge of that amount was the government spending and 23,800 tenge of non-budgetary funds.

2.5 International cooperation and foreign partners

The main partner of the HEI is Tajikistan Ministry of Energy – 66 students from that Republic study in the AIEC. On the whole over 100 foreign students from the CIS and such foreign countries as India, Jordan, Turkey and Mongolia are enrolled.

In 2000 the Scientific Nature Management Chair was established in association with the Southhampton University (UK) under the AEIC. The chair is sponsored by the British Gas company. The chair produces master degree specialists in ecology and environment protection (15-20 graduates) annually at the request of the biggest extraction companies of Kazakhstan.

The international cooperation includes exchange of scientific and methodology innovations, training, scientific research within the CIS in sectors of energy and communication via the International Scientific and Technology Center and leading HEIs of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tomsk and Novosibirsk.

3 Basic indications of the HEI transformation and development and their efficiency for the last 5 years (the institution was called AIEC in 1997).

3.1 Quantitative Data

Increase in Enrolments:

1997: 3,063

1998: 3,498

1999: 3,314

2000: 3,306

2001: 3,147

2002: 3,622

There have been no changes in the departmental structure of the HEI:

- Electro-energy Department;

- Thermal Energy Department;

- Radio and communication Department,

- Correspondence Department (students and specialists training)

- Pre-higher Education Department.

3.2 Evaluation mechanism and standards, provision of quality

3.2.1 Evaluation mechanism of training quality includes the following:

- Monitoring of teaching quality which includes students and academic staff opinions (academic staff ranking);

- Monitoring of students independent work performance by the Education and Methodology Department of the HEI;

- Introduction of tests for students performance monitoring;

- Monitoring of curricula by the Education and Methodology Department of the HEI;

- Usage of 9 points scale to evaluate students achievements and a system of students ranking and inducement.

3.2.2 Diplomas and qualification of the AIEC graduates are acknowledge in Israel.

3.3 Autonomy and new relations between the government and our HEI

In 1997 a non-public HEI called the AIEC was established for the first time in Kazakhstan and the CIS by a governmental decree. The public HEI was denationalized and gained the status of non-commercial entity. The State Property Committee and 90 employees the HEI became founders of the AIEC. In accordance to the Charter the AIEC obtained considerable autonomy compared to public HEIs of the country – the founders were authorized to identify organizational structure of the institution, staff, activity and elect its rector. That increased the responsibility of the personnel for the activity of the HEI.

3.4 Increase in funding

As it was mentioned above the budget of the HEI increased from 57 million tenge in 1997 to 400 million tenge which include 93 million tenge from the state budget (compared to 33 million in 1997) and 301 million tenge from other finance sources (24 million in 1997).

Besides our customers provided us with modern equipment which costs tens of millions tenge. They also provided industrial sites for practical training. Our customers being members of State Attestation Commissions for Graduation Degree participate in annual attestation of the students. They are customers of numerous scientific researches carried out by our institution. By the way the volume of scientific research increased from 6 million tenge in 1997 to 70 million tenge in 2001.

3.5 Labor market supply and demand. Employment of the AIEC graduates.

Annually the AIEC has about 200 customers. The main customers are such companies as Kazakhtelecom, KEGOG, Almaty Power Consolidated, Kokshetau REK, Baikonurenergo, Sokolovsko-Sarbaiski Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise, Kazakhmys, Kaztransoil, Kaztranscom, Kazaeronavigatsia and some others. During last years the demand in the AIEC graduates exceeds the annual graduation. 100% the AIEC graduates find employment.

3.6 Restructuring and innovations in education programs and training courses

Beginning from 2001 1st year full-time students study according to curricula of new education standards. New subjects and special courses were introduced due to revision of the training courses list adopted by the HEI Council. For instance such new disciplines as Fiber and Optical Networks and Transmission Systems, Satellite and Radio Relay Communication Systems, Telecommunication Measuring Technology, Computer Networks and Systems. Internet, Digital Transmission Systems, Database Design, Clerical Work in State Language have been introduced in the education program. Such training course sections as Higher mathematics and solution of sums by computers (Matcad Program), Engineering and Computer Graphics (Avtocad Program) are very popular among our students. Students can choose such disciplines as Solution of Radio and Electronics Problems by Computer, Radio-electronics aims programming by Delphi, Protection of Information in computer communication systems and some other subjects.

New education methods and principles are being introduced. 5 lecture halls have been equipped with modern computers and an Electronic reading room with access to Internet has been set up. The linguistic chairs have been equipped with computer classroom, the Engineering and Applied Mechanics Chair has been equipped with Computer Graphics Classroom. All chairs of the HEI have computer classrooms.

Establishment of the college under the AIEC offers secondary special technical education.

3.7. Staff recruitment, development and satisfaction of the academic and administrative personnel with their remuneration.

Academic staff recruitment is carried out on a contract basis. According to the new methodology of students enrolment the number of academic staff depends on 1st year students admission to the HEI. So the academic staff is formed according to the following scheme:

The academic staff of the chairs is divided into two parts:

Ø core chair staff (60-80% of academic staff) contracted for 3 years provided with recommendations issued by the Scientific Council of the faculty;

Ø joint-appointments contracted for 1 year.

The HEI advertises full-time vacancies. Candidates’ applications are considered by the Scientific Council which issues recommendations to the management of the HEI. Joint-appointments contracts are concluded provided with suggestions of the chairs chiefs. As a rule such contract are concluded with chairs chiefs provided with recommendations issued by the HEI Scientific Council.

The salary of the HEI employees including academic staff is calculated based on budgetary funds and non-budgetary funds proportionate to the state projection student and pay students enrolments as of each academic year beginning.

Additional payment to the salary is paid from non-budgetary funds. It is calculated based on each employee ranking (his/her achievements for the previous academic year). Such ranking is identified twice a year based on students question airing called Teacher in the Eyes of Students, education and methodology activity and some other indicators.

The amount of the additional payment is calculated based on revenue from pay students. Pay increase coefficients are identified for the chairs which enroll more pay students than others.

Thus teacher salary depends on his/her individual activity results and the chairs collective work efficiency to enroll pay students. This ranking system has operated for 4 years already. So far there has been no complaints from the academic staff. It should be noted that teacher’s salary is the basis of his/her remuneration formation. This salary is rather low and that explains academic staff efforts to find additional income outside of HEIs.

The management of the AIEC pays much attention to the academic staff development. During 1998-1999 the HEI upgraded computer skills of all its employees including 100% of the academic staff. 10 teachers upgraded their qualification at training courses for energy and telecommunication specialists. Besides some part of the academic staff upgraded their knowledge and skills at training courses of other national and foreign HEIs in Moscow, St. Petersburg and China. In 2000 the HEI launched a training courses for academic staff specialized in energy and telecommunication.

3.8 International cooperation, education programs exchange and diplomas acknowledge

The AIEC exchanges education programs with the Moscow Energy Institute and the Moscow Technical University of Communication and Informatization. These HEIs are leading ones in energy and communication specialties accordingly. Except for such disciplines as History of Russia, History of Kazakhstan, Kazakh Language and some others, the curricula of the specialties and the disciplines programs are the same.

The AIEC is an attested and accredited HEI (state accreditation certificate ?0000030). The AIEC diplomas are acknowledged in a few CIS countries and in Israel. Many graduates of our HEI work in the USA, Canada, India, Jordan, and Mongolia.

4 Accumulated experience and lessons of the last decade

4.1 Development of relations between the government and our HEI, planning, financing, management and design of a reliable mechanism for interaction between our HEI and the state, the market and the society.

Regarding specialist production the relations between the HEI and the government are built as follows:

The government presented by the Ministry of Education and Science issues licenses for education activity including all specialties of secondary, higher and post-graduate education. The ministry inspects accordance of the HEI with the license requirements, carries out attestation and accreditation of our HEI. The government is a customer who puts an order for a limited number of specialists (2,5 times less than former state projection) and pays for it 2-2,5 times less than actual tuition fee.

The government experiencing lack of funds even for social programs decided to allocate funds for production of those specialists whose education is not paid by customer enterprises. They include school teachers, military and law enforcement offices, public servants etc. It was decided that education of specialists for the economy sectors and especially for enterprises managed by foreign companies should be paid by the companies themselves. That’s fair and confirmed by the international experience.

In this line our HEI carries out a lot of activity trying to persuade enterprises of the necessity to pay for education and material base as well.

In exchange the scientists of the HEI render assistance in production technologies improvement, design of new methodology for tariffs formation, services provision and market research, their specialists training and retraining.

Thus the state and the society build up capacity to upgrade education level of the population, production of qualified specialists for such basic sectors of economy as energy and telecommunication at lower cost.

The HEI is not managed by public servants. Such management is worse than interested, flexible, mobile private one (i.e. representatives of the collective).

Customer enterprises can order direction and quality of the education for their money.

4.2 The AIEC and the labor market

The AIEC offers its services at the labor market via advertisement in press, promotion of its scientists’ achievements, presentations of the management on TV, conferences, training workshops, chair and faculties advertisement, meetings of its graduates.

The AIEC regulates supply and demand in its specialists at the labor market. The HEI introduces new specialties and new disciplines in which its customers are interested. For instance such subjects as Fiber and Optical Networks and Transmission Systems, Measuring Technology of Telecommunication Systems, Digital Transmission Systems and some others were introduced into the curriculum at the request of Kazakhtelecom.

4.3 Restructuring and innovations in education programs: constraints and future directions

The AIEC faces the following constraints:

- contradiction between small groups and the tuition fee. Small numbers of students studying in a few specialties prevents differentiated training in some disciplines;

- lack of distinctness in the Education Legislative Base prevents poor students transfer from HEI to college;

- frequent rotations in the management of customer-companies result in considerable changes in education programs;

- lack of a normative base for distance education of the students;

Future directions:

- investments in new design of new certified education and scientific laboratories will enable to increase diversity of retraining courses ????????;

- design of education programs for night students;

- investments in distance education and extensive usage of this mode in production of specialists.

4.4 Recruitment of academic staff and its development

There are some problems in academic staff recruitment due to diversity of the specialties and qualifications. Recruitment of higher qualification teachers for extensively developing economy sectors is the main problem. Telecommunication is one of such sectors. Considerable difference in remuneration of such specialists at enterprises causes their drain from HEIs.

Academic staff development is carried out in different schemes. Qualification upgrading of new disciplines teachers is implemented in leading HEIs of Russia and leading companies of Kazakhstan. Training and retraining also can be passed at post-graduate department of the AIEC. Most part of the academic staff is trained at the HEI. There are retraining courses and special training programs designed by our institute (e.g. informatics program). Teachers of humanities are trained at leading HEIs of Almaty City.

4.5 Competition and establishment of a partnership between the AIEC and private HEIs

The AIEC is a non-public HEI. Our institute cooperates with other public and private HEIs of the country in education process arrangement experience exchange, participation in normative documents design for higher education, elaboration of state standards for energy and telecommunication programs. The academic staff of the AIEC partake in scientific and technology conferences and workshops organized by various HEIs. The AIEC also carries out such conferences and workshops inviting representative of academic staff and scientists from other HEIs including foreign ones.

The AIEC is a basic HEI of the Education-Methodology Association (EMA) for energy and telecommunication specialties. That enables the HEI to maintain links with all HEIs which train specialists in EMA and involved in education process arrangement and education and methodology literature design. Employees of the AIEC participate in activity of the MOES commissions for inspection of national HEIs activity. The AIEC raised the issue of EMA strengthening at the MOES during discussions of specialties introduction in education program of other HEIs. That would provide favorable conditions for competition between the HEIs and assist improvement of the students training quality.

4.6 Selection of partners and an initiative of education programs exchange under international cooperation

Our HEI takes an initiative to exchange education programs and select international partners. The AIEC is a leading HEI in production of energy and telecommunication specialists and we have links with such foreign partners as the Moscow Energy Institute and the Moscow Technical University. Regarding production of specialists in ecology and environment protection we cooperate with the Southampton University (UK) which has high reputation. British Gas Company operating in Kazakhstan is a sponsor of this cooperation promoting training of students in environment protection.

5 Formulation of future strategy

5.1 Study of the challenges we face

Higher education of Kazakhstan aspires to integrate in the international education system and this process is irreversible. So it is necessary to introduce 12 grade program into general secondary education system and transfer from hundreds of specialties in higher education to tens directions in production of bachelors and masters. That would require alteration of curricula and revision of the quantity and content of education programs and subjects.

5.2 Identification of objectives of the innovations, reforms and education programs expansion. These objectives should be achieved during next decades and even longer period.

Objectives of the innovations:

- production of bachelors and master in such specialties as thermal energy, electro-energy, telecommunication or info-communication and radio-electronics. Expansion of such higher qualification specialists production as PHDs, doctors of science in above specialties in Russian HEIs. Further widening of training and retraining programs for specialists and academic staff of HEIs producing such specialists in above mentioned directions.

5.3 Basic indicators to be taken into consideration when identifying objectives of our HEI

Our HEI is a specialized one. It produces specialists in such scientific sectors as energy and telecommunication. The material base of the HEI should be in compliance with the fast development of these sectors. Presently there is 1 Pentium for each 5 full-time students and that is not less than in best HEIs of developed countries. Anyway that is not enough since only 35% of our students (Almaty residents) have PCs at home whereas in developed countries this indicator reaches 100%. Students from other cities who live in the dormitories have 1 PC for 20 persons.

Thus it is necessary to renew education and laboratory equipment, purchase PCs and network equipment, spend money for Internet, buy software, education and methodology aids also translated into the state language.

Rector

G. Daukeev