Report
Of the Regional Workshop on Higher Education in Central
Asia in Transition
10 years after - Experiences, Lessons and Future Strategies,
Almaty, Kazakhstan, 13-15 September 2002
The workshop was initiated by UNESCO’s Asia and Pacific Regional Office for
Education based in Bangkok and co-organizes in collaboration with UNESCO Cluster
Office in Almaty and the University of International Business, Almaty. Representatives
from Ministries of Education and Universities from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were invited and participated in the workshop. The
British Council and Education network of USAID also attended. Turkmenistan and
China were invited but sent no representatives.
After the opening of the workshop, it took one day for presentation of country reports and case reports of participating universities. Representatives found all reports interesting, relevant and rich in information regarding progress made and lessons learned and experiences gained from innovation and reform process of higher education in the last decade of transition from the contest of planning economies to the context of market economies in all the participating countries. Reports attracted great interest and warm interaction among participants. There is a strong feeling among the participants to continue such a forum for exchange of information, learning from each other and formulation of necessary strategies for future co-operation in higher education among Central Asian Republics and between them and neighbouring China and Russia.
Based on fresh lessons learned, experiences gained and progress made in higher education in the transition period several critical and challenging issues facing higher education innovation reform process in the participating countries, such as legislation, quantative expansion, mechanisms and standards for accreditation, quality assurance and mutual recognition of qualifications, diversification funding, demand of labor market and graduates unemployment and regional co-operation in higher education the future, etc, were discussed.
Summing up the discussions at the workshop, the following recommendations were made and adopted unanimously:
I.
1. Exchange of information on legislation and new laws on higher education should be promoted among Central Asian Republics, China and Russia.
2. UNESCO is requested to assist to work out a new glossary of terminologies in higher education in line with UNESCO’s international standard clarifcification of education for mutual understanding and recognition.
3. Forecasting the demands of the labor market of graduates based on surveys of the needs of employers and taking into account the demographic change is necessary to ensure effective employment of graduates. UNESCO, specifically IIEP, is requested to assist and provide training on new methodologies for such purposes.
4. National higher education authorities should adopt new quality assurance criteria to provide graduates with a wide knowledge base and necessary competences and skills to make graduates with more flexibility and trainability, in order to adapt to the rapidly changing society.
5. Higher education should be reformed to take care of the education needs of adults and elder people by expanding the distance education, opening learning and learning online.
6. Optimise the student-teacher ratio, the teacher’s working load to give more time for teachers to do research and search additional sources of income.
7. To regard 4% of GNP as the minimum level of government funding to support educational expenditures, the average level of developing countries according to UNESCO’s statistics. To develop mechanisms for taxation of all businesses to support the education. To exempt educational institutions from state taxes on education and research activities may be considered by governments as measures.
8. Mutual recognition of diplomas and degrees is a global trend in higher
education as a way and strategy to face the challenge of globalization of economies
and internationalization of higher education.
To cope with following steps should be considered by higher education authorities:
- development of some common criterion for accreditation and quality assurance
among CARK, Russia and China through consultation;
- establishment of a mechanism for this purpose
- Development of some pilot projects on application of that criterion aiming
at mutual recognition of credits.
9. UNESCO Almaty suggested to open a contact page for higher education institutions of CARK, Russia and China. Specific design of the page and its initial support is left to UNESCO Almaty in consultation with representatives via e-mail.
10. To continue in the future such workshops for higher education experts
from CARK, China and Russia. Participants welcomed the initiative of representatives
from Kyrgyzstan (International University of Kyrgyzstan) to host the next session
of this forum and UNESCO Bangkok and Almaty to co-sponsor it in April or May
2003. A programme for the session should be prepared jointly by the hosting
country and UNESCO and be submitted to UNESCO early next year for its consideration
for co-funding. Representatives from Kyrgyzstan and other participating countries
are also invited to mobilize funding of activities from other sources. Representatives
agreed that next informal dialogue should focus on the following issues:
- Role and Impact of information and communication technology in higher education;
- Institutionalisation of the credit system as a basis for student academic
mobility;
- Quality assurance, mutual recognition of diplomas and degrees;
- Strategies and policies for international and regional cooperation and possibility
of the establishment of CARK Association of Universities.
11. Jointly with UNESCO-Almaty and UNESCO-Bangkok to initiate preparation
activities for setting up the Association.