Poland: The window to higher education in Eastern Europe?

Upheavals in Poland during 1980–1981 included proposals for some dramatic changes in its system of higher education. Taking advantage of the momentum for change created by Solidarity and using the strike weapon where necessary, academics and students produced temporary changes which in some cases represent a complete reversal of previous policies. By studying these changes one obtains a view of some of the directions socialist higher education in Eastern Europe might take if the opportunity permitted.Author's Note: The account that follows results from a sabbatical spent in Poland during the early months of 1981. It reflects the reading I did and the impressions I gained while there. Any conclusions reached are my own and should in no way reflect on the people of Poland who hosted my highly stimulating stay there.     

Globalization of education and Eastern Europe

Specialized in the history and the philosophy of education on which he published many articles.     

New societies and economies: Changing demands for secondary education in Central and Eastern Europe

Changes in secondary education reflect the broader context of social and economic flux in Central and Eastern Europe. Despite budgetary constraints, large-scale changes in the legislative framework of secondary education have been made in many Central and Eastern European countries. However, the challenge is now to further define specific national needs, despite the fact that some issues, such as changing labour markets and growing informal sectors, may still provide only weak signals to planners. The change is also to implement changes: to refine new national curricula, occupational standards, and evaluation and examination systems; to widen pathways to continuing education; and to improve links to the labour market. This requires monitoring of the progress and impact of decentralizing management and funding responsibilities, and the development and institutionalization of social partnerships. Finally, in order to ensure the successful integration of new curricula and institutional structures and to promote positive learning outcomes, greater attention will need to be focused on improving the education infrastructure, and especially on training/retraining teaching personnel. The latter will be central to success in implementing new curricula at school level and in the evaluation and examination system.     

University Interaction in Central and South Eastern Europe

If regional groupings are a legitimate step on the road to European integration, co-operation in education, particularly university education, has a principal role to play in the process. In Central and Eastern Europe, university education is essential for finding solutions to the common problems of adopting a market economy and of achieving scientific and technological parity with the West. Its aims can be furthered by co-operation and emphasis upon multiculturalism and initiatives aimed at furthering the aims of the Bologna Declaration of June 1999 on a European Area of Higher Education.     

社会科学方法论与高等教育研究

在自然科学、社会科学与人文科学这种知识分类框架下,教育学的学科地位非常尴尬。从早期的“(自然)科学化”、到后来的“人文化”,再到晚近的“社会科学化”,教育学的学科性质始终变动不居。作为教育学的分支学科,高等教育研究面临同样的困境。本文认为高等教育研究若要从根本上提升自身的学术地位,成为真正意义上独立的学术性学科,积极引入社会科学方法论是极其关键的一步。     

Education and Social Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe

This article evaluates the outcomes of the efforts of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to make their education systems more effective in enhancing broader social and economic goals. It focuses on those 11 Central and Eastern European countries which became members of the EU in 2004 or following this date. First, it presents a short analysis of how educational goals were connected with the broader goals of social and economic progress before and during the first phase of the transition period after the collapse of Communism. It then analyses the impact of the accession of these countries to the EU, including the impact of some European mechanisms that have contributed to the strengthening of linkages between education and social-economic progress. The third part of the article attempts to evaluate the outcomes of the relevant national education reforms, development programmes and policies, most of them generated by these mechanisms, in the light of a number of selected indicators. A key conclusion of the article is that the adoption of the lifelong learning approach of the EU has been a major engine to strengthen the role of education in social and economic development in the CEE region, but most countries still need further efforts to translate this approach into coherent and effective national policies and to implement them so that they produce relevant and significant outcomes.     

试谈农业高等教育与我国农业发展

中国农业和农村经济发展的水平,直接关系到我国能否全面实现小康社会的宏伟目标.农业和农村经济的发展依靠农业科技的进步和农村劳动者素质的提高.高等农业教育是农业科研、教育的龙头,办好农业高等教育对农业和农村经济的发展有着直接的关系.文章试从农业和农村经济的发展前景,分析说明发展农业高等教育的重要性.     

Patterns of subsidies to higher education in Europe

The patterns of government subsidies to higher education in France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (UK) are compared and contrasted. The subsidies are subsequently evaluated in the light of stated policy objectives, with particular attention to the objectives of efficiency and equity. Two extreme models of financing are considered; one in which public subsidy covers 100 per cent of the private costs of higher education, including income forgone by students, the other in which public subsidy to students is kept at a minimum. The study concludes that the ideal package from the standpoint of efficiency and equity is (1) a grants system in the last few years of secondary education; (2) a system of fees equal to about 30–50 per cent of institutional incomes and (3) an income contingent loan scheme (or graduate tax) for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.The research for this paper was sponsored by the United States Education Policy Research Center for Higher Education and Society under HEW Contract No. 300-76-0026. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Center. Our thanks are due to J. Froomkin for valuable comments on an earlier draft.     

Examination Reform in Central and Eastern Europe: Issues and trends

This paper surveys some of the reforms that are being proposed and implemented in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This term is taken to mean the former USSR and socialist countries of Europe. The paper is based on experience but, as much as possible, this experience has been supplemented by reference to documents written locally and by international project teams. In some cases (Slovenia, the Baltics and Bulgaria), reforms have already been implemented. In others (Romania, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, and Moldova), internationally funded reforms are under way. In yet others (Latvia, Albania and FYR-Macedonia), assessment/examination reforms are under discussion. Farther to the east, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Georgia are also planning reforms to their assessment systems, in particular at the secondary/higher education interface. Two major trends are evident: (1) towards the definition of national standards; and (2) towards competence-based (as distinct from knowledge-based) assessment. These are discussed with reference to similar trends in other parts of the world.     

Structural changes in higher education systems in Western Europe

This article gives an overview and analysis of structural changes of higher education systems in Western Europe, and how the various countries have changed their systems over the last four decades. Emphasis is placed on the development of a non‐university higher education sector in most countries. The question to be discussed is the extent to which the various countries converge to a common structural model for the organization of higher education – either a binary system which is the most common model today, or a unified but hierarchical system as in the United Kingdom.     

Strategic Developments in Open and Distance Learning in Central and Eastern Europe

This article provides a synopsis of the findings of a strategic study on developments in open and distance learning in Central and Eastern Europe. The study was undertaken during 1999 under the aegis of the PHARE Multi-country Programme in Distance Education. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the issues addressed by the study. These include contextual issues relating to the development of open and distance learning and the changing nature of higher education, an exploration of developments across Europe and the problems associated with those developments, and a discussion of possible solutions to those problems in Central and Eastern Europe with particular reference to legislation, quality assurance and recognition, and strategic management.     

Towards quality private higher education in central and eastern Europe

The number of private higher education institutions in post-communist Eastern Europe has risen spectacularly since 1989. In some countries, private-sector enrollments have neared one-third of total enrollment. This article traces the development of these private higher education institutions. The argument is that while their quality is currently varied, they are structurally much better suited to serve the post-communist world than are the rigid, cash-strapped public universities. However, they must first overcome certain challenges, such as a lack of prestige, that arise from their very identity as private-sector institutions.