Bobrytska V.I.,
Doctor of Pedagogy, Professor
National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, Ukraine
Modern state policy of Ukraine in the area of higher education:
peculiarities of normative and legal regulation
Reformation processes in the higher education of
Ukraine are caused by contradictions emerged as a result of some historical and
civilized processes. Particularly, the
democratic processes which are typical for development of independent Ukraine,
have caused the need of revolutionary revision of the aim, tasks and contest of
higher education, as well as the necessity to direct them at the implementation
of social order for highly educated specialists and to personality formation of
future citizens of democratic society, his/her cultural development, national
independence sense breeding.
Joining the European educational values by Ukraine has
formed the necessity to improve the quality of national higher education to
achieve the specialists’ compatibility at the global and particularly European
labour market. Thus the universities received the task to ensure the level of
specialists’ training respective to the level of highly-developed countries.
This idea became the ground for Magna Charta Universitatum creation. It’s the
result of the proposition of the Bologna University (1986) to the top European
universities. The sense of the proposition is in the interuniversity
cooperation as a mean of improvement of the quality of higher education. The
open European Higher Education Area and specialists’ training are based on such
key elements as information, common agreement and implementation of education
credits.
We should admit that since the year 2005 Ukraine has
joined the Bologna process. This fact has made the starting conditions for
entering the European and world educational and scientific areas by
implementing the basic ideas depicted in the Bologna declaration (1999) and
other documents of the Bologna Process. These has caused the necessity of normative legal adjustment of higher education in
Ukraine because the Law of Ukraine “On higher education” (2002) is not adequate
for personal, social and national requests for compatible specialists’
training. That is why among the primary tasks in educational policy of Ukraine
are to enact a new Law of Ukraine “On higher education” and a framework Law of
Ukraine “On education” [3]. These aspects were reported on the press conference
“New Steps in Educational Policy of Ukraine” held in the Ministry of Education
and Science of Ukraine on March 4, 2014.
It is important to admit that the development of the
project of the Law of Ukraine “On higher education” (a new edition) is an important step in ensuring the
legal regulation in higher education [4]. Thus, the analysis of the beginning
and ending of the project of the Law of Ukraine “On higher education” (a
new edition) points out that the bases
for changes in higher education is modern economic demands, further adaptation
of national higher education to European Higher Education Area, transition to
the system of higher education for National Framework of
Qualifications implementation.
The Law implies the clear
identification of principles and ways of realization of state policy in higher
education area, levels and degrees of higher education, universities’ control
authorities, standards of higher education, licensing of universities,
accreditation of specialties, fundamentals of United National Electronic
Database of Education development. Besides, a great attention is paid to standardization
of creation and activity of National Agenda of higher education quality and
independent organizations of estimation and ensuring the quality of higher
education; to the setting of tasks, legal status, typical structure, scheme of
university creation and reorganization; to the setting of educational process
organization in universities; to the characteristics of participants of
educational process, setting of their rights and obligations. Changes are also
made in conditions of entering the universities, in financial and economical
treatments in higher education area, in settlement of international
cooperation and control of higher
education [1; 2].
On our opinion important
features of the Law of Ukraine “On higher education”
(a new edition) are a more precise
definition of the sphere of action of the Law (Provision 2), prediction of
institutional, academician, financial elements of universities autonomy [2].
Besides, the widening of universities’ autonomy is considered to be the main
aspect of state policy in higher education area.
It is legislatively regulated
that the structure of higher education should be more adapted to European
Higher Education Area. Surely, it makes the legislative basis for
simplification of diplomas’ recognition, academic and professional mobility,
realization of possibilities of lifelong education.
Special attention of teachers and scientists was paid to legal
regulation of questions connected to levels of higher education (such levels as
associate specialist, bachelor, master, philosophy doctor and doctor of
sciences are provided). Article 59 “Scientific degrees and academic ranks” of
Part IX as well as article 8 “Qualifications, scientific degrees” of Pat II
“Educational and qualification, educational and scientific, scientific levels
of higher education” of the Law are
stated in a new version [4]. It should be admitted that the title “senior staff
scientist” will be changed to “senior researcher”. The award of scientific
degrees of senior researcher, associate professor and professor will become the
authority of the central executive body of formation and ensuring of state
policy in education and science area.
We should also pay a special attention to the fact
that an advanced training which is the norm of the Law in force is relevant to
higher education at the basis of some qualification level (Part 9 Article 6 of
the Law) [2]. Legal norms of advanced training which are expound in the Article
10 [2], suppose that such education will be completed by academies, institutions
of advanced education, structural subdivisions of universities and special
subdivisions of scientific and educational institutions as well as other
specialized institutions.
Realization of foreground ways of higher education
reforming, notably realization of organizational and structural changes,
development of educational institutions of different levels, are provided in
changed approaches to typing higher educational institutions (Article 23) and
in the development of subsidiaries and consulting centers (Article 28) [2]. The
Law determines types of institution of higher education, which are university,
academy, college, professional college. According to international norms,
institute is defined as a structural division of a higher educational institution.
This legislative norm is important for concentration of scientific and
pedagogical potential, for rearranging the network of higher educational
institutions according to the needs of society, region, national system of
selection and education of talented youth, enhancement of training and results
of scientific researches. We should admit that the Articles 60, 61, 62 of the
Law [2] are devoted to the improvement of innovative constituent of activities
of higher education institution and to the setting of organizational and
legislative norms of innovations implementation.
Except changes analysed above, new aspects in the Law
of Ukraine “On higher education” (new
addition) are an elimination of levels of institutions of higher education;
introduction of National agency of quality of higher education and
international organizations of evaluation and provision the quality of higher
education; introduction
of new processes of receiving the status of national university; introduction of research universities; legislative
grounding of the system of outer independent estimation; widering the autonomy
of higher educational institutions etc. At the same time definitions of
conceptual terms of the Law need to be improved, the Law is too large,
overdriven by norms and regulations which could be presented in other laws and
subordinated acts. These drawbacks have to be improved at the stage of
discussion of the Law in the Supreme Rada of Ukraine. Besides, the project of the Law of Ukraine “On higher education” (new addition) is opportune and at the whole it realizes two main
approaches which are the bases for changes in the higher education area:
reformation of higher education according to the terms of socially oriented
economy; integration to world, especially European, system of higher education.
References
1. Conclusion to the Project of the Law of Ukraine “On
higher education” (Registration No 1187-2
from 21.01.2013). – URL : www.mon.gov.ua.
2. Law of Ukraine “On higher education” (new adition). – URL: www.mon.gov.ua.
3. New administrators of MES told about priority steps in educational
policy. – URL : www.mon.gov.ua.
4.
Basic
provisions of the Project of the Law of Ukraine “On
higher education” (new adition). – URL : www.mon.gov.ua.