Nick Holdsworth of University World News reports on a radical restructuring plan prepared by Russia’s Ministry of Education concerning the country’s public university system. According to the plan that is currently under consideration at the Russian parliament, public research-driven universities will be reorganized on the basis of new, rather concentrated, ‘federal networks’.
The new architecture will largely be based on two experiments that the Ministry implemented last year. Two pilot federal universities were established through the merge and integration of several institutions; one in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, and the other one in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.
Holdsworth believes that the scheme is part of a wide-ranging set of proposals under a Kremlin plan to improve Russia's socio-economic infrastructure. It will allow the State to:
1. target resources effectively on specialized research-driven universities
2. expand lifelong training program offerings
“The network of new universities is intended [to address] strategic problems of innovative development,” Education Minister Andrei Fursenko told members of the Russian parliament.
Russia's future 'Ivy League' will receive specially targeted funds to ensure that they have state-of-the-art information systems and the best qualified staff. These institutions will offer bachelors and masters programs, and will collaborate closely with businesses and scientific research centers. They will also be encouraged to develop close partnerships with foreign universities, the Education Minister said.
The Minister hopes that by concentrating resources, Russian universities can climb up the league table of world universities; a subject that Russian rectors are highly sensitive about. The recent publication of international university league tables by The Times Higher Education placed Moscow State University in 183rd place, below some Thai and Indian institutions. This brought a sharp rebuke from the University's president (rector), Mr. Viktor Sadovnichy, who claimed the ratings were based on flawed data, and had ignored the university's rather high staff-student ratio and the high number of international students and visiting professors (some of the criteria used by The Times Higher Education ratings).
Establishing lifelong education schemes to ensure Russian graduates with opportunities to update their skills throughout their careers is also one of the major objectives of Fursenko's reforms.
In order to monitor the new architecture, a set of quality assurance agencies for public, private and vocational training programs will be established.
It is to be seen if a similar plan will be devised in Armenia 2-3 years from now as for the ruling Armenian elite Russia remains the main source of inspiration and, in many cases, pure imitation. For the time being, however, no one in the Armenian leadership seems concerned about the country’s research-driven universities and their total absence from global league tables.
>
The new architecture will largely be based on two experiments that the Ministry implemented last year. Two pilot federal universities were established through the merge and integration of several institutions; one in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, and the other one in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.
Holdsworth believes that the scheme is part of a wide-ranging set of proposals under a Kremlin plan to improve Russia's socio-economic infrastructure. It will allow the State to:
1. target resources effectively on specialized research-driven universities
2. expand lifelong training program offerings
“The network of new universities is intended [to address] strategic problems of innovative development,” Education Minister Andrei Fursenko told members of the Russian parliament.
Russia's future 'Ivy League' will receive specially targeted funds to ensure that they have state-of-the-art information systems and the best qualified staff. These institutions will offer bachelors and masters programs, and will collaborate closely with businesses and scientific research centers. They will also be encouraged to develop close partnerships with foreign universities, the Education Minister said.
The Minister hopes that by concentrating resources, Russian universities can climb up the league table of world universities; a subject that Russian rectors are highly sensitive about. The recent publication of international university league tables by The Times Higher Education placed Moscow State University in 183rd place, below some Thai and Indian institutions. This brought a sharp rebuke from the University's president (rector), Mr. Viktor Sadovnichy, who claimed the ratings were based on flawed data, and had ignored the university's rather high staff-student ratio and the high number of international students and visiting professors (some of the criteria used by The Times Higher Education ratings).
Establishing lifelong education schemes to ensure Russian graduates with opportunities to update their skills throughout their careers is also one of the major objectives of Fursenko's reforms.
In order to monitor the new architecture, a set of quality assurance agencies for public, private and vocational training programs will be established.
It is to be seen if a similar plan will be devised in Armenia 2-3 years from now as for the ruling Armenian elite Russia remains the main source of inspiration and, in many cases, pure imitation. For the time being, however, no one in the Armenian leadership seems concerned about the country’s research-driven universities and their total absence from global league tables.
>
