NURZHUMBAEVA Aiman Zeynelkabidenovna

 

Influence of higher education system's reforming on the status of the teacher

 

Psychology and pedagogy department’s Master student,  PSU named after S. Toraigyrov

 

Nowadays the system of  higher education in Kazakhstan is in process of active reforming, according to a state program  development of education  2011-2020 creation of conditions for granting an autonomy to higher education institutions is provided: since 2015 the autonomy will be presented to national research universities, since 2016 - to national higher educational institutions, since 2018 - to other higher educational institutions", - is spoken in the  Ministry of education and science’s message [4].

Bologna Process attaches to the principle of autonomy of higher education institutions extremely great value. We can find the following formulation in "A great charter of universities": "The university works in societies with various organizations which is a consequence of different geographical and historical conditions and represents institute which critically comprehends and extends culture by research and teaching. To meet the requirements of the modern world, in the research and teaching activity it has to have moral and scientific independence of the political and economic power". What is the principle of autonomy? The autonomy is an independence of higher education institutions in the solution of the questions carried to their competence. Which questions are within the competence of higher education institutions, solves the laws, and in certain cases – government resolutions or decisions of the founder of higher education institution (in the Republic of Kazakhstan as the founder of state universities acts the Ministry of Education and Science ).

 The academic autonomy of university from the government began in antique centuries, since Plato's ideas about the brotherhood of philosophers, society elite who owing to intellectual and moral perfection can establish own rules of behavior. This opposition has been lasting till present day. The first academic autonomy arose at the end of the XI century at the first European university in the city of Bologna. The institute represented set of two corporations – student's and professorial. The first received the charter allowing it to sign contracts with professors from the Bologna municipality, to regulate rent of student's housing, the price of rent and sale of books, to define taught courses, to establish duration of lectures and vacation, to carry out civil and criminal jurisdiction over its members. Being the organization, students could agree more effectively with the city government and operate school. And the second, professorial, formed association which had the right to examine, appropriate doctor's degree to take a payment for examination. The general council which, in turn, elected the rector was governing body of university.

Simplifying, it is possible to tell that the real autonomy of higher education institutions takes place in a situation when the founder fulfills the obligations for financing of higher education institutions and creation of necessary conditions for their activity, and all questions relating to the content of education, a teaching technique, the staff list, etc., higher education institutions solve independently. Thus the founder – and not only he - can "order", certainly, to higher education institution the training of specialists, necessary for national economy and culture that is made out as appropriate (contract) [2,Ð.75].

At present, in Kazakhstan Nazarbaev University is the unique higher education institution working according to the international academic standards and guided by the principles of autonomy and the academic freedom.

The Kazakhstan state universities, according to the existing legislation, are allocated with autonomy in the sphere of the contents and a teaching technique, in some other areas. However, really the autonomy acts as the limited. First of all, it belongs to need to follow in implementation of the appropriate training programs by the state obligatory standard of the education approved by MES RK. Only it (plus the state accreditation) allows higher education institutions to issue to graduates the diploma of the state sample only recognized in all territory of the Republic. It should be noted that SCSE are developed by Educational and methodical associations on branches of knowledge (EMA), i.e. representatives of the scientific and pedagogical public of higher education institutions. But key parameters of SCSE are offered by the Ministry, and the final version as it is told also is approved by the Ministry; the higher education institution has the right for introduction of minor changes in the volume of taught disciplines. Rather rigid regulation of educational process caused by need to follow norms of SCSE, to a certain extent complicates cooperation of the Kazakhstan higher education institutions with foreign, in particular at realization of joint educational programs.    

So Bologna University became a prototype of the higher educational institution which is under control of students. However modern higher education institutions become related with the Parisian university which has appeared later which, in a counterbalance Bologna, was under control of teachers more. Nevertheless, and here the academic freedom was read sacredly – teachers had the right for full freedom in researches, freedom to publish their results on condition of appropriate execution of other academic duties fixed to them. This model also became the international standard of higher education [3,Ð.71].

According to the Minister of Education of RK Aslan Sarinzhipov, "… the teaching staff, its status and participation in decision-making will increase. It is system according to which universities in all developed countries work. There will be a principle of the academic freedom. The autonomy of higher education institutions will give them necessary flexibility of work on a labor market that they could be arranged under the market, work with the industry, business, to prepare highly-qualified graduates"[6].

The modern higher school is in great need in the professional teacher capable to innovative activity, possessing need for self-development and self-education. Such position of modern researchers changes priorities in the field of an assessment of professional competence of the teacher. Professionalism of the teacher today even more often connect not so much with information saturation and methodical equipment, as with ability of the teacher to make interdependent high-quality changes in own personality and in the identity of the being trained. The modern teacher is considered not simply as the carrier of professional knowledge, qualities and abilities and as the active subject responsible for their development and application.

The educational system existing today is focused on realization ideas of variable, multilevel education. It sharply increases the volume of scientific, educational and methodical work of teachers and puts them before need not simply to train, following traditionally accepted schemes, but also in many cases to carry out an independent and responsible choice of forms, means and the content of training. Thus, new requirements to teachers’ activities create objective prerequisites for definition of the level of teaching staff readiness.

Quality of specialists training in many respects depends on teaching staff quality, its professional knowledge and abilities. Therefore the special attention in research needs to be paid to studying teaching staff readiness of Kazakhstani higher education institutions to transition to positions of innovative education.

However these, apparently, positive changes led to that the teacher began to experience difficulties in a choice of pedagogical priorities, the purposes, the contents, means and forms of the professional activity, in implementation of an objective assessment and a self-assessment of its results. Current situation is caused by the problem of formation and development of the identity of the teacher in national pedagogics was solved generally from the point of view of its indispensable and full compliance to appointment and specifics of a pedagogical profession. Such approach as practice shows, leads to teacher's complete dependence from external incentives, seeks to transfer responsibility for the choice to colleagues or administration of educational institution, i.e. acts as the system determined by the set purpose and the complex of conditions. As a result, many modern teachers think stereotypically, by behavioral stamps, orientation to loan of others experience, uncertainty in the forces [5].

Strategy of modern education sets tasks of considerable reorganization of professional activity, development of new psychology and pedagogical competences for each educator. Expanding borders of teacher's freedom, the professional standard at the same time increases its responsibility for results of the work.

In the conditions of introduction  new standards the teaching staff  becomes a key figure as the transition mission is assigned to it from  "knowledge" orientation of education to activity, providing communication in the opened chain "education – science – production" [1, Ð.148,]

"Autonomy" dictates not only new quality of training, but also new quality of teaching staff. Professional and psychological readiness of the teacher of a higher educational institution, to introduction of new standards, acts as one of guarantors of realization of ideas for advance of a national education system on the advanced boundaries, entries into the European and world educational area.

Authors of the article are interested in further research teaching staff readiness to work in the conditions of a higher education institution autonomy, forecasting, diagnostics of the main criterion, indicators by means of the theoretical and empirical methods directed on studying of all its components for detection of teaching staff abilities  to highly effective, productive teaching activity: novelty directed by tasks and the purposes; original application earlier known and use of new methods for the solution of pedagogical tasks; development of the new content of the activity, new concepts; competitiveness; ability consciously to develop and change itself.

 Monitoring teaching staff quality and its availability for service in the conditions of an autonomy is one of the basic, actual elements of management of process of formation of the quality system and a core of personnel policy of autonomous higher education institution.

           Thus, before the teaching staff is often a need to develop at being trained those qualities (responsibility, independence, autonomy) to which teachers themselves have to be ready.

 

 

LITERATURE:

1.                Bologna declaration: European space of the higher education: The joint statement of the European Ministers of Education signed in Bologna on June 19, 1999 [Text]// Russian philosophical society bulletin. – 2005. – No. 1 (33). – Page 74-77.

2.                Grigoryeva, A.A. Teaching staff of higher education institutions about Bologna Process//Monitoring of public opinion:  economic and social changes.  2005.  No. 2.  Page 71-76.

3.                 State program 2011-2020 of education development   in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is approved as the Decree of the President of RK of December 7, 2010 No. 1118.

4.                Lonshakova, N. A. Taching staff readiness to realization of innovative approaches in educational activity in a context of Bologna Process/N A. Lonshakova, V.P. Mochnov.  [Electronic resource].-

5.                Mc. Lauchlin, Milbrey W. & Joan E. Talbert –Professional Communities and the work of high school teaching-The university of Chicago Ltd London – 2001- The university of Chicago Press – 217 pages of ISBN. 0-226-500-70-5 (cloth: alk.paper)

6.                Sarinzhipov A. – on line Conference “We head for development of higher education institutions autonomy” Bnews.kz- 31.10.2013.- http://www.bnews.kz/ru/news/post/168022/