1976‐1980 RESEARCH PLAN OF THE HUNGARIAN PEDAGOGICAL RESEARCH CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

The information below is based on the recently published survey of the research projects of the Pedagogical Research Centre for Higher Education in Budapest, for the period 1976‐1980.

This institute is one of the four central educational research institutions in Hungary, the other three being the National Institute of Education, the Educational Research Institute at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Popular Education.     

The Professional Development of Adult Educators: Some Structural and Methodological Considerations

The case is stated for a scheme of professional training for adult educators, which should at once be

_____ comprehensive and unified;

_____ able to take into account the particular possibilities of individual adult educators; and

_____ easily adjustable to the particular needs within the community.

Such a scheme can only be realized through the application of a modular structure. A scheme like this is being developed at Gwent College of Higher Education for a professional training programme which will give a Certificate in Continuing Education, conferring full teacher status in adult and further education. This development is used to illustrate the points the author wants to make. The development of a programme on such a scheme raises considerable structural and methodological problems, which are discussed and compared with what is done elsewhere.     

THE DEMAND FOR STUDY PLACES IN HIGHER EDUCATION TOWARDS THE 1980's IN SWITZERLAND

The starting point for a medium‐term policy on higher education is the future demand for study places. This problem constitutes one of the main issues of the Third Report on the Development of Higher Education in Switzerland.

We give below the main findings concerning this issue as presented in the report.     

THE SWISS SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION

We have received numerous requests to present in “Higher Education in Europe”, in relatively short form, the main features of higher education systems in the different countries of the Unesco European Region.

As partial response to these requests, we present below a survey on the Swiss system of higher education, written for “Higher Education in Europe” by Dr. Esther C. Garke from the Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science, and CEPES Liaison Officer in Switzerland.

We also take this opportunity to invite our readers to provide us with papers or documents for similar presentations.     

10th CONFERENCE OF THE MINISTERS OF HIGHER EDUCATION OF SOCIALIST COUNTRIES

The 10th Conference of the Ministers of Higher Education of Socialist Countries was held in Moscow from 16 to 18 November 1976. The 8th and 9th conferences were held in Ulan‐Bator (Mongolia) from 12 to 14 September 1973, and in Havana (Cuba) from 19 to 22 November 1974 respectively.

Ten countries ‐ Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, USSR and Vietnam participated in the work of the Conference.

The forthcoming issue of the international journal of the socialist countries Sovremiennaja Vysza Shkola (Contemporary Higher Education) published in Warsaw will be devoted to the works of this Conference.

We give below information on the main problems discussed during this meeting.     

FACTS AND TRENDS

In this and the next issue of the Bulletin, we are publishing résumés of the papers presented by the participants at the Consultation for the Preparation of a study on Access to Higher Education in Europe, which was organized by CEPES in Bucharest from 18 to 20 October 1977.

A monograph containing all the documents of this meeting is currently being prepared and will be published later in 1978.

(For information on this meeting see N°6 November‐December 1977 issue of this Bulletin).     

11th CONFERENCE OF THE MINISTERS OF HIGHER EDUCATION OF SOCIALIST COUNTRIES

The 11th Conference of the Ministers of Higher Education of Socialist Countries was held in Balaton‐Aliga (Hungary) from 17 to 19 October 1978.

The following information was provided by Dr. Franciszek Januszkie‐wicz for “Higher Education in Europe”. Dr. Januszkiewicz, of the Institute of Science Policy, Technological Progress and Higher Education in Warsaw, is also Managing Editor of the “Contemporary Higher Education” the international journal on higher education in the socialist countries.     

THE RESTRUCTURING OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE USSR

Great interest is being expressed in higher education circles everywhere and at all levels in the fundamental changes envisaged with regard to the organizational structure and contents of higher education in the USSR. These changes constitute an important part of the restructuring; the “perestroika”, currently going on in all spheres and at all levels of Soviet society.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CC CPSU) adopted the Principal Directions for the Reorganization of Higher Education and Specialized Secondary Education. As a follow‐up to that framework document, the CC CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a number of decisions, dated 13 March 1987, aimed at giving substance to and at amplifying the basic principles enumerated. As change in Soviet higher education has been in the air for some time, we were able to preview some of its directions in previous issues of Higher Education in Europe, specifically in No. 4, Vol. XI (1986), pp. 80‐81 and in No. 2, Vol. XII (1987), pp. 83‐84.

As promised in the latter issue, we are now presenting the main provisions of these “Measures”, and “Decisions” via excerpts taken from five documents which were published partly in Byulleten’ Ministerstva Vysshego i Srednego Spetsialnogo Obrazovaniya, No. 6, 1987, and partly in Pravda, 27 March 1987.

The editors are solely responsible for the choice of excerpts as well as for the editorial and stylistic modifications that they believed necessary in order to fit them into the content of Higher Education in Europe.     

Teacher Education in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

Teacher education in Czechoslovakia is part of a unified national provision of education; this covers in‐service as well as pre‐service training. The basis is that of training at Higher education level followed by life‐long upgrading.

The Marxist‐Leninist view is that the quality of the teacher is central to the educational process. Consequently, the initial and in‐service training of the teacher are of paramount importance, and the Czechoslovak system aims at an integrated approach to the entire process. In this process, acquisition of ideological, as well as professional, maturity, is seen as essential. Equally, the teacher must master his chosen discipline (s) in the scientific sense.

Additionally, it is important that the teacher be able to participate actively in the community—in, for example, family education, health care and concern for the environment.

Against this background of goals, the author outlines the Czechoslovak institutional provision for initial training, conditions for enrolment and the process of obtaining a post, before providing an in‐depth examination of the country's provision of in‐service education. A final section emphasises the position of the teacher in society, and specifically in socialist society. The teacher is, quite simply, a key figure and teacher education has to be built around this fact.

Svatopluk S. Petrá?ek is Professor of Education and Director of the European Centre of the Charles University for Further Education of Teachers.     

WOMEN IN SWISS UNIVERSITIES

The following article is an abstract of the booklet “Frauen an der Hochschule” (Women in Higher Education), published by Mrs. Wiederkehr‐Benz in August 1980, Zurich.>

The article, sent to us by Mrs. Wiederkehr‐Benz, is meant to provide the reader with some complementary information concerning the situation of women in higher education in Switzerland, The article stresses the consequences of early socialization, and later role‐conflicts in performance oriented system of higher education. Similar lines of thought have also been expressed in the articles on the Netherlands and FRG.

Mrs. Wiederkehr‐Benz is a psychologist attached to the"Psyahologische Studentenberatungsstelle” (Centre for Student Counselling), of Zürich's institutions of higher education.     

HIGHER EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN LIGHT OF THE RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TBILISI CONFERENCE

Promotion of environmental education in higher education and Unesco activities in this context, especially in light of the work and recommendations of the Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, are presented in the following article.

It was written for “Higher Education in Europe” by Victor Kolybine from the Environmental Education Section of Unesco.     

PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN HUNGARY

Mrs. Deri, after stating that in Hungary today there is a satisfactory number of women students in higher education, splits up the total figures for women students at university into fields of study and shows which ones women usually prefer. She then reviews briefly the results of a sociological survey concerning various questions related to women in higher education, before and after graduation, their professional choices and career opportunities

Mrs. Vera Deri is attached to the Pedagogical Research Centre for Higher Education, Budapest, Hungary     

EXPANSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

In the Federal Republio of Germany, institutions of higher education will encounter an increase in demand for student places during the 1980's. This demand is expected in the mid‐1980's to reach 850,000 places. At the same time substantial changes, concerning job opportunities for higher education graduates, will take place on the labour market.

The following information is based on the analyses and recommendations, concerning the above problems, which were presented in the report of the FRG Scientific Council (Wissenschaftsrat) entitled “Recommendations on the Structure and Extent of Higher Education”.     

Group Process and Emotional Education: Can the group process as described by Louis R. Ormont be effective in modifying the behavior of young children? (A retrospective study)

Several years ago I began to see children in my classroom who did not respond to the techniques I had used for many years to develop behavioural adjustment.

While searching for a new method that would be more effective, I was introduced to Louis Ormont's theories regarding the Group Experience involving adults.

Immediately I began to see the possibility of adjusting the adult Group Process to address the needs of the 5‐6‐year‐olds in my kindergarten class.

In my presentation I will discuss Dr Ormont's theory as I see it relating to my classroom and describe how I implement the Group Process and the results that were achieved over three years’ time with several classes of children.

My presentation will give new meaning to the terms ‘Group Meeting’ and ‘Behavioural Modification’ in the kindergarten classroom. In my mind the results are enormously positive. Children learn to take charge of their own behaviour and are strengthened by the feelings of group membership and personal empowerment.     

UNITED STATES: CREATION OF THE COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Seven major United States higher education associations are Charter members of the US Council for International Co‐operation in Higher Education (CICHE) whose objective is to encourage international educational collaboration between US higher education and the higher education communities of other countries. The creation of the Council has been recommended by the study “International Linkages in Higher Education Feasibility Study”.

We give below information on this study and the main task of CICHE.     

ORIENTATION OF RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Responding to the interest of readers of issue No.1, Vol.IV, January‐March 1979 of “Higher Education in Europe”, which had as its main topic “Higher Education in Relation to Problems of Environment”, it was decided to continue devoting some attention to these problems in later issues of the Bulletin. In this context, we present the following article, written for “Higher Education in Europe” by Mr. Victor Kolybine from the Environmental Education Section of Unesco.

We also invite other readers to write on this important topic which concerns all of us.     

Teacher Education and Qualifications in the People's Republic of Bulgaria

Summary The education and training of teachers is a current concern in Bulgaria, and a major reform is under way, of both the educational system and its teacher‐training specifically. The goals of permanent education play an important part in the reform, and the emphasis is placed on personal values equally with those of economic production.

Considerable attention is being given to the balance between different contributions to training programmes. Currently, for example, the pedagogical input is viewed as unsatisfactory. Additionally, more opportunity for specialisation is to be given.

In‐service education also receives major attention, and a range of establishments—including those responsible for initial training—contribute to INSET in Bulgaria. Other important contributions come from Teachers’ Qualification Centres and regional Pedagogical Consulting Offices.

Nonetheless, a new system of teacher‐training is required, which will emphasise not only pedagogy but also subject specialisms and interaction with the community. A new institutional pattern is being evolved, which will link pre‐ and in‐service education. To assist with the development of the new structure, a considerable commitment to research has been made at Ministry and Higher education levels.     

Distance education in mixed institutions: working towards parity

The ‘distance’ in distance education (DE) is no longer necessarily great. DE is no longer a makeshift second best to be used only where the face‐to‐face mode is geographically impossible. The parity of esteem which the DE mode already deserves, for mature students, has not yet been achieved, but the trend is in the right direction.

The organisational structure of Deakin University [a mixed institution that teaches both on campus and off campus] is described, emphasising how intimately DE is integrated with other university functions. In comparing DE with the face‐to‐face mode, I argue that distance educators should not be too much on the defensive and list some advantages of DE.

I predict that DE will continue to rise in status and expand in scale, because of its particular suitability for adult students and because of foreseeable developments in technology, especially in microcomputers. My view is that it should regard itself not as a minor speciality but as a leading edge of progress for higher education as a whole.     

STATISTICS ON THE STUDENT POPULATION IN FRANCE FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 1976‐1977

The 1977 edition of “Tableaux des Enseignements et de la Formation ‐ Edition 1977” has recently been published by the French Ministry of Education and French Secretary of State for Universities.

It includes thorough statistical data on the student population in the French education system during the academic year 1975‐1976. A supplement of this publication gives basic data on higher education in France as well as the student population for the academic year 1976‐1977. The information presented below is based on these data. Similar information concerning the academic year 1975‐1976 has been presented in N°1, Vol.II 1977 issue of “Higher Education in Europe”