REINVENTING STRUCTURES AND STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Dr. Miroslav Kuka, spec Ildiko Djokic, M.Sc. Branko Medic, Dr. Jove Talevski

Faculty of Education in Bitola, Republic of Macedonia

College of Vocational Studies in Subotica, Republic of Serbia

Abstract: In the process of European integration, it is necessary to align the education system with the criteria and recommendations of the European Union with special attention to indicators of success of the education system, which is defined by the EU standards. This case study paper makes a contribution as an integral part of a wider project of designing and drafting a "Reinvented Structure and Strategy of Development of Higher Education", which was made in the period from 2013 - 2015 and then submitted to the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, ie. Committee on Education, Science, Technological Development and Information Society. Preliminary project team has partly realised the project objectives with the coordination of the central and regional working groups in Serbia and countries in the region with a total of 70 participants on the project. The proposed model structure of our higher education involves changes within: openness, coverage and accessibility of higher education, higher education funding, increasing the quality and efficiency of higher education, compliance and mobility study programs as well as inspection and control activities in higher education.

Keywords: Higher Education, reinventing structures, strategy development, the pace of reform implementation.

1. Phases of dissemination and implementation of strategic changes

The Conference organised by the UNESCO, in 1990 entitled "Education for All" set out to adopt the principal "World Declaration on Education for All", which was registered in several directions concerning the further study and higher education of the development of education. One of these directions, in the declaration defined in Section 5, in terms of education and development had put an emphasis on changes and encouragement to better and higher achievements of participants in the educational process. Models of changes, that our project aims to explain are two main phases: 1. phase of dissemination during which the interested participants get into the substance of new ideas to be applied (in our case, this would correspond to all the preparatory work for setting our proposal structure of higher education, stating all scientifically valid reasons, as well as the need for its implementation) and the second phase of implementation is the process of adapting our strategy of applying the changes (amendments). This part makes the post implementation step of our proposal for reinventing the structure of higher education, which takes on wider social and institutional connotations, which fall outside the scope of this domain and our analysis of the potential impact. Our project, with its conceptual approach, brings about changes in the structure of higher education, which means the change of strategy to "bottom-up" or a strategy in which the initiatives of higher education institutions (universities, institutes, vocational schools ...) come to the fore. This former "Top-Down" approach is suited to those who aim to be more successful at improving the educational processes that operate at higher levels, from policy-making, since the processes are characterised by reliance on outside consultants for influence and have no contact with educational practice in addition to intuitive assumptions. Now, what category could best describe our reinvented structures of higher education? Depending on the principle Changes (changes) in the current educational practice we are talking about the four types of possible changes: adaptive, external, regulatory and structural. Our amendments in this general setting refers to the type of structural changes, that is focused on changes in the organisational structure of higher education, but it does not interfere with the realisation of changing the educational process. Primarily, structural and systemic changes are aimed at efficiency, rationality, education liberalisation and the acquisition of specific knowledge. Our changes within the existing structures can not be brought under a so-called model. Next is the controlled expansion! This approach changes the most convenient education systems which do not require radical changes, but the limited scale of intervention - alterations, repairs, modifications, or the introduction of new details in the existing system, ie. structure. Changes of this type have the character of conceptual modernisation aimed at better achievements at higher education level. Below are some of the systematised structural changes, strategic objectives and action measures for the higher education level.

2. Openness, scope and accessibility of Higher Education

Secondary and higher education are active agents of development of national identity, traditions, ethnic and cultural specificity. To this end, we should provide adequate resources for the strategic planning of their development. Our proposal is the following agenda: upon finishing four years of secondary school and before the student's' enrollment into vocational colleges, we should introduce compulsory education for a period of three hours per week in order to establish cooperation between secondary and higher education institutions in the form of organizing the presentation of the relevant content and a program of academic and vocational studies. This would be presented in addition to promotional activities and all of it is of course playing an educational role. Each institution has an obligation to deliver to the competent department for secondary education, the prepared presentation of their institution (facilities and studies, market coverage and representation of trained educational profile, etc.). All of it to be covered in a 45-minute presentation. The presentation would be held by professors or students in their final year of study. Private higher education institutions may also submit their program presentation, which will enter the schedule of regular high school classes, but with payment of the registration fee, which funds will be directed to a fund for the development of secondary education. On the other hand the expansion of information and development of technical sciences, causes progressive trend of reduced market demand for the most highly educated in both economic and non-economic activities. To this end, the company should create market conditions for "sustainable development", ie. real market coverage of about 20% of population. Strategy expressed in the projections of education is about 40% of highly educated population by 2020, can only be understood as "state policy" of openness and accessibility of higher education but without a market need for the same. For example, in Macedonia over 90% of high school students enrolled in the study. However, this trend will inevitably lead to over-saturation of the market by highly qualified staff and introducing systemic blockade of student enrolment at specific institutions of higher education which is the actuality of higher education in Macedonia. Also, it is extremely important to harmonise the educational profiles with market representation and needs. For example, the state universities registered 134 occupations for which the students are educated, and that does not exist in the official code list of occupations. The existing code-book occupation dates from 1998 but has not been harmonised with the Law on Higher Education of 2005, which are occupations that students acquire which makes the Bologna process not existing.

3. Funding of Higher Education

Given that the process of education falls under the dome of a market economy it is necessary to define the policy of financing higher education institutions with regard to the established requirements of the market whilst having previously performed the categorisation of faculties with regard to school education profiles for economic and non-economic activities. To this end and in line with the contemporary market needs of the society, agreed with the National Employment Agency (unemployment rate in each of the trained educational profiles), founded by Republic of Serbia, we should categorise the lower and upper limit of all the students to the budget of each university. The remaining number of vacancies will be filled by self-financed students whose number will determine the maximum load limit for the the number of students per teacher. In this context it is also important to determine the cost of studying at an annual level of each of the colleges and then at the national level to define whether educated in Serbia and the Serbian market unnecessary higher education staff (who are on the free labour market employ outside Serbia), and can be in any way strategic economic resource of the country. Based on previously completed categorisation, higher education institutions acquire funds for their activities by means of: 1. the founders, ie. from the budget of the Republic of Serbia and their salaries, material costs of maintenance, librarian fund, scientific and professional development of employees, international cooperation, publishing, finance equipment and conditions for studying, etc. and 2: from its own revenue through: tuition, fees for commercial and other services, donations and bequests, the funds for financing scientific research and professional work, etc. Assets that are derived from its own resources, through tuition fees, exam requirements, applications, fees for commercial and other services, can not be used to increase salaries of employees, but exclusively to fund research and professional work. Staff salaries from own revenues can be increased only through the provision of market services in the field of profession.

4. Strategy for Development of Higher Education

Strategy of development in any field, including the field of higher education, is primarily determined by the determination of the society to accept the proposed measures and then incorporated into its institutional system. The smallest problem is the devoid of content and responsibility to the license terms; until 2020, until 2025, until 2030, .... we should implement the proposed strategic goals, actions and measures with accompanying indicators of progress. The previous strategy of development represents a wish list, which does not bind anyone, and does not seek responsibility for if the words are unfulfilled. The main motto of the current development strategy of education, it comes to predicting what should happen tomorrow, next month and next year, and then "arguments to explain" why it did not happen. The measures propose structural changes in the higher education system, given by us, which may occur with the commitment of society, the legal system to implement and incorporate a period of two years. Progress indicators, ie. system incorporating the proposed measures should control commission that would oversee the process and form a Parliamentary Committee for Education, Science and Technological Development. Composition of the Committee will compose of all socio - political and educational - correctional representatives of the following members: teachers in higher education institutions: Teachers at state academic studies (10 representatives), teachers at private academic studies (5 representatives), teachers at state vocational studies ( 4 representatives) and teachers at private vocational studies (2 representatives). Students at state academic studies (5 representatives), students at private academic studies (2 representatives) Students in public vocational studies (3 representatives) and students at private vocational studies (1 representative). Representatives of each institute (founded by the Republic of Serbia) from natural and social sciences (one representative). Representatives of all political parties on a proportional representation system (25 representatives). Representatives of the Serbian Statistical Office, NBS, NEA and EPF (4 representatives, ie. From each institution at a time). Representatives of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (4 representatives). Quarterly reports mentioned Commission, within the legally defined powers, which should have the competence to initiate proceedings for the purpose of imposing sanctions because of unrealised goals, would be adopted by 2/3 majority.

REFERENCES

1. Kuka M., Jovanović K., Talevski J., New Conceptions of Educational Systems in the Function of Projecting School of the Future, JO journals of USA-China education review A & B, September 2013, EL Monte / USA, (703 - 708), Volume 3, № 9, ISSN: 2161-6248

2. Кука М., Йованович К., Талевски Й, Проэктирование новых структур системы образования, журнал „Известия Южного Федерального Университета - Педагогические науки“, Ростов-на-Дону / Россия, (11 - 15), № 5. 2013, УДК 001.895:378

3. Kuka M., Jovanović K., Talevski J., Change Of Pre-School System In Function Of New Structural Changes In Educational System,International conference on innovation and challenges in education 2013 (CICE 2013), Kütahya / Turkey, 26 - 28. 4. 2013.

4. Kuka, M. Jovanović, K. Talevski, J. Projecting the New Strategies of Education System, 4th Conference: 2012 Asia regional open courseware and open education conference (AROOC), Bangkok / Thailand, 21 - 22. 1. 2013.

5. Kuka, M. Jovanović, K. Talevski, J. Changes in the structure of educational system in the function of millennium tendencies,International conference on teaching and learning - ICTL 2012, Abuja / Nigeria, 23 - 27. 10. 2012.

6. Kuka M., Jovanović K., Talevski J., Redefinition of education structure in the function of projecting school of the future, 2^ND International conference „research and education in natural sciences“, Shkodër / Albania, 15 - 16. 11. 2013.

7. Kuka M., Jovanović K., Stojanoska G., Usklađivanje obrazovno-vaspitnog sistema sa permanentim promenama unutar društveno vrednosnih sistema, Međunarodna znanstvena konferencija “pedagogija, obrazovanje i nastava”, Mostar / BIH, 21 - 23. 4. 2013.

8. Kuka M., Talevski J., Stojanovski M., Pravci rekonstrukcije sistema edukacije, IV Međunarodni naučno - stručni skup „edukacija za budućnost”, Zenica / BIH, 24 - 25. 5. 2012, (51 - 57), COBISS.BH-ID 20370694

9. Kuka M., Stojanoska G., Redefinition of education structure of republic of Serbia, International conference “education across borders”, Florina / Greece, 5 - 7. 10. 2012, (657 - 660), ISBN 978-618-81385-0-6, ISSN 2241-8881

10. Kuka M., Jovanović K., Talevski J., Model of Strategic Planning In High Education, ARPN Journal of science and technology - Granada / Spain, (371 - 376), Volume 2, Special Issue, ICTL (Part 2) 2012., ISSN 2225 - 7217.