ENTRY INTO EUROPEAN SPACE OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION
(ESHE)
AS GUARANTEE OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF
EDUCATION
Makhabbat Mukatayeva – postgraduate student
of PSU named after
S. Torayghyrov,
Nelli Pfeifer - the vice rector of PSU named
after S. Torayghyrov,
Doctor of
pedagogical sciences, professor
In 1997
for the first time our country in the status of the sovereign state accepted
long-term strategy of development of Kazakhstan till 2030. In the next years
the President of the country N. Nazarbayev defines development priorities of
all spheres of economic, political, social and public life on the near-term
outlook in Messages to the Kazakhstan people. In the Message of the President
of the Republic of Kazakhstan – the leader of the nation N. Nazarbayev to the
people of Kazakhstan Strategy "Kazakhstan – 2050: New political policy of
the taken place state" the new task is set – "to continue a
sustainable development in 21st century, keeping everything that we
reached for years of the sovereignty. Character and depth of transformations
occurring in the world, global interdependence demand sustainable long-term
development".
Education
of the people is the pledge of the sustainable development which basis is a
creation of modern and effective education systems and health care. Education
is a stability foundation of development of economy, production, society as a
whole.
The
Republic of Kazakhstan officially joined Bologna Process in March 12, 2010. In
this connection key positions and priorities of the higher education are guided
by the European space of the higher education (ESHE).
The key
directions of a policy forum of Bologna Process in Bucharest (2012) became:
-
global student's mobility: incentives and barriers, balances and imbalances;
- global and regional approaches to ensuring
quality;
- state and social responsibility for the
higher education;
- contribution of the higher education to the
reforms directed on increase of graduates’ employment.
Global
student's mobility: incentives, barriers, balances and imbalances.
Mobility
in a context of Bologna Process.
The
Levensky communique put forward the first target indicator of mobility for ESHE
in 2009: "20% of graduates have to be trained or pass training abroad in
2020 ". The same indicator (20%) is put down in the State program of the
development of education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The
solution of the Provision on the academic mobility of students, the faculty and
employees was approved by the Academic Council of April 25, 2012 at the Pavlodar
state university of S. Toraygyrov.
On the
bases of "Strategy of the academic mobility in Kazakhstan for
2012-2015" of November 06, 2012 "Strategy of internationalization and
the academic mobility of the Pavlodar state university of S. Toraygyrov for 2013
- 2020" was developed in December, 2012. Strategy realization already
yielded the first results. The academic mobility of students of a bachelor
degree made 1,3 % for 1 year, the academic mobility of undergraduates – 8%.
Foreign scientific training of undergraduates and doctoral candidates made
100%.
According
to the last documents of Bologna Process the new impulse of student's mobility
gives increase in transfer of students in ESHE which have received the previous
qualification outside ESHE. The mobility of the professorial - teaching staff
is similarly considered. The development of use of short-term (credit) mobility
and imbalance elimination in a mobile stream will be hopeful for students of
the higher education institutions which are out of ESHE zone. The problem of
introduction of credit mobility is connected with absence of comparable data
which covers this type of mobility at national and institutional level. UOE
(UNESCO) OTSR/Eurostat) is engaged in data collection. And years will be
necessary in order to all countries will have adapted the mechanisms of data
collection for uniform measurements.
A lot
of things depend on higher education institutions concerning establishment of
balance of mobility of students. Obstacles of realization of the international
mobility are identical in all countries: the absence of personal motivation,
lack of quality (training programs and "quality" of students);
insufficient financing, insufficient knowledge of language, lack of
information, limited recognition of the training periods abroad and foreign
qualifications, immigration and high school obstacles,
and not flexible training programs. In view of all factors reducing expansion
of the academic mobility, the most actual for our students is the knowledge of
language. "Program of introduction of polylingual education at PSU of S.
Toraygyrov for 2012-2016" is developed and realized step by step for the
purpose of imbalance elimination in internationalization of the higher
education in PSU.
Polylingual
education is carried out in several directions:
-
Foundation;
-
Foreign language; Professional and focused foreign language;;
-
Reading special disciplines in English by the professorial - teaching staff of
PSU;
-
Teaching special disciplines by the foreign scientists.
The
faculty of Foundation carries out its activity taking into account summons of
modern society. One of the key positions is profound polylingual preparation on
a foreign language that will provide transfer of students on the 1st
course of PSU in groups of foreign language training. a foreign language and
professional and focused foreign language are learned in a bachelor degree and
a magistracy as an obligatory component at PSU of S. Toraygyrov and makes 6% of
the total of credits. Along with obligatory learning of foreign language,
training of some special disciplines in a foreign language to PSU professorial
– teaching staff is carried out. In 2012-2013 it was read 141 disciplines in a
foreign language, 313 credits with a total amount at five faculties by teachers
of PSU. The increase in the disciplines read by PSU teachers is planned for
prospect, in a foreign language: 19 disciplines of not language specialties
that make 53 credits.
It is supposed
that stage-by-stage implementation of the Program will allow to create in the
future full-fledged groups of a foreign language training that, in turn, will
promote establishment of balance of education internationalizations. Along with
teaching of disciplines in a foreign language by the University professorial -
teaching staff, special disciplines were taught by the invited scientists from
foreign countries in academic year of 2012-2013. Scientists from six countries
of the world (Bulgaria, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Turkey and the Czech
Republic) gave lectures at seven faculties in 2012.
The
plan schedule of the invitation of foreign scientists on the academic year
2013-2014 is made.
The list of specialties on which
special offices and their stage-by-stage development will be open is defined In
the Program of introduction of polylingual education in PSU of S. Toraygyrov. 4
specialties are at the first stage, on the second – 6, on the third – 6.
The
“Bolashak” program is should be noted separately. At the present time 16 people
of the faculty were trained in foreign countries according to the Bolashak
program from 3 to 9 months therefore it is planned to increase amount of taught
special disciplines in a foreign language.
Global and regional approaches
to improvement of the higher education quality
The
quality of the higher education is one of the priorities of Bologna Process.
The State program of the education development (SPED) also focuses on the
improvement of quality.
SPED
target indicators are a uniform system of electronic training in the education
organizations; the quality of the higher education corresponding to the best
world practices in the fields of education and the accountability of system of
the higher education.
For
today all education levels are institutionally provided with a network of the
relevant organizations. The structure of the higher education is brought into
accord with parameters of Bologna Process: bachelor degree is the level of the
higher education; magistracy and doctoral studies are postgraduate level of the
higher education. If the structure of the higher education was fixed and gained
recognition from students, the contents are in a development stage. Performance
of parameters of Bologna Process includes an integrated approach to
modernization of various components, and the main of which is the high-quality
revision of the educational programs focused on results of training. There has
to be the competence-based approach at the educational program basis providing
personal and professional socialization in the course of training.
Our higher education institution went on the way of
formation of educational programs by the modular principle since 2011. Students of all specialties from the first course are trained on
modular educational programs.
It is
noted in SPED that the independence on implementation of educational activity
will be provided to the higher education institutions which have passed
national accreditation, the corresponding international accreditation according
to the parameter of the Bologna agreement. PSU of S. Toraygyrov works with a
number of accreditation agencies: ACQUIN (Germany), IQAA, NAAR (RK) for the
purpose of passing the international accreditation. Accreditation of 44
educational programs is planned for 2013 (24 for a bachelor degree, 20 for
magistracies).
The
main parameter of the Bologna agreement is quality. The system of intra high
school quality control of education works for ensuring system effectiveness of
an assessment of quality in the higher education at PSU of S. Toraygyrov since
2005. The main goal of the intra high school monitoring system of the education
quality is detection of real quality of education at PSU and establishment of
improvement areas of education quality in all kinds of activity.
Intra
high school quality control of education is conducted in two directions: the
quality control of training of specialists and the quality control of
educational process.
Monitoring
of educational process quality includes:
1.
Monitoring of the main indicators of higher education institution activity
(participation in a rating of higher education institution, preparation of a
package of documents in forms of the administrative reporting of educational
monitoring).
2.
Carrying out questioning of students, professorial - teaching staff, staff of
university, and parents of entrants.
3.
Monitoring of quality of carrying out studies.
4.
Monitoring of quality of carrying out intermediate and total certification.
Monitoring
of specialists training quality includes:
1. Carrying out entrance control of
students’ knowledge.
2.
Carrying out intra high school testing of students on residual knowledge.
3.
Carrying out intermediate and total certification by a computer testing method.
Testing
is held in the computer classes equipped with video surveillance for ensuring
transparency and independence of an assessment. Own program complex “Testing”
is used, which main advantage is possibility of unlimited number of
connections, higher level of information security and compatibility with
available modules of an automated control system for university.
State and social responsibility for the higher education
Responsibility
of society for the higher education includes a labor market, development of an
active, civic stand in democratic society, individual development, and development
of the complex knowledge base. The higher education plays a key role in
development and balance maintenance in society which has to be steady from the
social, political, economic and cultural point of view which members have
experience of the cross-cultural dialogue necessary for the harmonization of
society as a whole. In return higher education institutions within
responsibility of the higher education before society have to use all
advantages of the scientific/academic freedom and freedom of self-government to
answer social needs at regional level.
As
channelized is new, and so undeveloped, PSU of S. Toraygyrov began this work
with creation of the Board of trustees. The following step is development of
the State private partnership (SPP).
Interaction with representatives of production allows beginning work on
formation of NFQ (National Framework of Qualification). When forming NFQ it is
necessary to proceed from regulating documents (State Obligatory Standard of
Education (SOSE)), offers and requirements of employers and the European
framework of qualifications, the Dublin descriptors. Comparison of EQF (European Qualification Framework) competences
and NFQ shows that we goes on the way of coordination and rapprochement in
definition of the end result of education.
Today,
leaning on SOSE, stabilizing part of an educational program, the vocational
training of the expert includes elective disciplines which reflect requirements
and vision of future expert from the employer. 127 final and 195 subjects of
term papers were offered to higher education institution from the enterprises
in recent years. 186 offers on introduction and updating of the content of
existing disciplines arrived from the enterprises and the organizations.
Elective disciplines allow to avoid monotony of programs. Refusal of the
ordered curricula, coordination of the general parameters of educational
programs promotes the academic mobility process, gives uniqueness and
independence to educational programs of concrete higher education institution.
Working in this direction we come
nearer to a position of the Bologna agreement and quality is provided with
higher education institutions, but external quality control is within,
established by public authorities, i.e. according to system of degrees and the
framework of qualifications established by public authorities.
Contribution
of the higher education to reforms directed on increase of employment of
graduates
The importance of the higher education
is rather high today because the knowledge is an integral part of a sustainable
development. Young people choose education which in their opinion will provide
them employment. However, discrepancy in readiness of graduates and the skills
which are necessary now is observed in many countries. the three-stage system
as a priority of the higher education reform was introduced for overcoming of
this discrepancy in the European countries; methods of training, improvement of
synchronization of existing methods (ECTS) were changed; bases of modification
and development of the relations between scientific community and a
professional life. The transformations in the Bologna program locate on the
interest of the participating parties in an education system and reforms in the
structure and contents. A role of the employer and a role of the student in
joint development or curricula updating are the confirmation to this point. The
labor market is interested in the higher education and it does necessary the
close cooperation between business and education that promotes national and
regional development.
Employment is promoted by development
of the state-private partnership (SPP) and work
practice which the President suggests to
fix from the second year in the Message.
Expansion of the state-private partnership provides the training of
specialists, possessing high personal and professional competences. Within SPP
interaction with the advanced industrial enterprises for several directions is
carried out at the Pavlodar state university of S. Toraygyrov:
- work practice;
- branches;
- scientific and creative cooperation;
- social partnership;
- the forced industrial and innovative development (FIID);
- employment.
Work practice for higher education
institution is an association of theoretical preparation and practical skills
of students for simplification of their entry into the market of work; it is
receiving feedback from the companies and the organizations accepting students
on practice.
The Pavlodar region traditionally
is an industrial support of Kazakhstan. The largest enterprises of the Republic
are located there: JSC Aluminium of Kazakhstan, JSC Eurasian Energy
Corporation, Aksu plant of ferroalloys, JSC Kazakhstan Electrolysis Plant, PB
KSP Steel LLP, PB Kasting LLP, LTD Neftekhim Company LLP, JSC Pavlodar
Machinery Plant, "The Pavlodar tube rolling plant", etc.
The partnership with all leading
enterprises of the region is adjusted for the purpose of strengthening of
interrelation of educational process and work practice by higher education
institution. 150 functioned in the academic year of 2011-2012 and 163 contracts
in 2012-2013.
The
branches of chairs are created on the basis of the industrial enterprises of
the region. The joint scientific and practical activities of professorial -
teaching staff, students of higher education institution and the staff of the
enterprises are carried out there. This cooperation provides partnership
between higher education institution and the enterprise, allowing to reveal
needs of employers and to raise competitiveness level of university graduates.
Currently
44 branches of chairs work. Annually employees of the enterprises, the
organizations and establishments take part in educational process as teachers,
SAC chairmen, reviewers of final works.
26 contracts on industrial practice and scientific and creative cooperation are signed in the academic year
of 2011-2012. The total of such contracts made - 17 for January 1, 2013.
Students get a research and applied education in the course of this
cooperation, on what also the special attention is paid in the Message of the
President.
The partnership with employers allows university to improve the
maintenance of educational programs, to improve practical training of
graduates, to conduct address training, to
give help to the needy people who don't have opportunities independently to pay
for training in receiving worthy education.
203 students are
trained at PSU at the expense of employers’ means in current academic year,
including:
- 153 – on grants
of area’s mayor;
- 50 – on grants of
19 enterprises.
52 enterprises of the forced industrial and innovative development
(FIID) of the Pavlodar region are involved in the Investment projects of the
Pavlodar region realized in 2012-2014. Currently contracts on long-term
cooperation are signed with 22 enterprises for passing of work practice and
employment of graduates.
The system of employment of graduates
through the organization of work practice is debugged at the university. The
university closely cooperates with all leading enterprises, construction
companies, state institutions, law enforcement agencies, banks for this
purpose.
The questioning of employers and the analysis of the responses which
have arrived from them are carried out for the purpose of definition of the
future experts training trajectory and a quality assessment of their
preparation. The questioning of enterprises heads, the organizations and
establishments of the Pavlodar region in 2011 showed that social partners of
university are satisfied with training level of PSU graduates. They note
improvement of training quality of specialists for the last three years.
Interaction with the advanced industrial enterprises, creation of
branches of chairs and the organization of work practice promoted introduction
on two specialties of dual system of training.
Thus,
all 4 key directions of the Bucharest forum are involved and considered at PSU
of S. Toraygyrov work. Certainly, there are problems, but there is a desire and
opportunity to solve them. The most actual for the decision on the near-term
outlook we define the following problems:
-
development of the qualified framework: the general understanding of levels of
a qualification framework will allow to arrange procedure of recognition of the
academic and professional purposes;
-
development and formation of transversal competences: formation of interdisciplinary and innovative competences with
the most modern subject knowledge;
so-called "metacompetences", for example, to the organization,
development, enthusiasm of others.
-
development of joint programs of degrees as parts of broader approach to
formation of the European Space of the Higher Education.