DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL BRANCH-WISE EDUCATION IN AGRICULTURE: BACKGROUND, CURRENT SITUATION AND KEY PROBLEMS

Abstract

The paper explores the background of branch-wise education in the area of agriculture in pre-reform period. The author defines the peculiarities of agricultural education that deal with infrastructure of education process and research. The article analyzes current situation of higher education system of the Minsitry of Agriculture of Russia. The system includes 54 universities. The author finds out the problems that restrict functioning of national agricultural universities seen as low admission of students; low financing of agricultural universities; contradiction between higher education and vocational education in the sphere of agriculture; weak integration with research institutes and enterprises; insufficient level of research in universities; not efficient use of land resources that belong to agricultural universities; insufficient support for practical training of students. Sustainable development of agriculture depends mainly on personnel. The educational level of the chiefs of agricultural enterprises has arisen insufficiently in 2006–2016 and the educational level of the staff is rather low. The author observed that each 15th employee had higher education in agriculture in 2016. The author outlines that current institutional changes in agriculture require modernization of agricultural education.