Hidden Declines in Post-Soviet Education

Abstract

Since Russia and Ukraine gained their independence in 1991, the number of students enrolled in higher education degree programs has substantially increased; in Russia, 3.4% of the population in 1991 increased to an impressive 6.7% in 2008, and in Ukraine, 3.1% grew to 6.3%, both higher than the 2008 percentages for the United States and Finland (5.9%) and the United Kingdom (3.9%) ([ 1 ][1], [ 2 ][2]). Likewise, in Russia, 54% of the population has a tertiary degree, compared with 41% of the U.S. population and 33% of the population in the United Kingdom and 36% in Finland ([ 3 ][3]). The numbers mask the reality: The quality of the education system in post-Soviet countries has been declining steadily in the past two decades, as measured by the graduates' ability to meet state educational standards and qualification levels ([ 4 ][4]). The lack of national funding forces public universities to depend on tuition fees, which in turn has led them to compromise their academic standards to admit students who can pay. Meanwhile, many private institutions prioritize making a profit over education quality. The internal quality assessment of higher education and academic rewards in these countries is not based on international standards such as published journal articles in international peer-reviewed literature, but rather on archaic Soviet bureaucratic criteria such as the number of old-fashioned doctoral degrees ([ 5 ][5]) one has earned. Because of this system, faculty have little incentive to research foreign literature and publish in international journals. Many professors lack the foreign language skills necessary to do internationally competitive research and teaching. Talented scholars are forced to realize their potential in foreign reputable universities, and as a result, there is a deficit of qualified faculty. This socio-institutional crisis in the education system is a result of autocratic incompetent governance at all levels—including inefficient budget spending, staffing based on connections rather than merits, and increasing corruption—and the still-dominant Soviet mentality among the population, which places more value on a diploma than on substantive qualifications. Reform of the post-Soviet education system should focus on the quality of education rather than the misleading quantity of graduates. This can be achieved by integrating independent evaluations of both faculty and graduates into the system, and by providing talented scholars with incentives to stay in the country and to cultivate quality research and teaching that live up to international standards. 1. [↵][6]UNESCO, Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, Predefined Tables, Education, Table 14: Tertiary Indicators ( ). 2. [↵][7]UNESCO, Institute for Statistics, Data Centre, Predefined Tables, Education, Table 26: Historical Data–Tertiary Education ( ). 3. [↵][8]Education at a Glance 2010: OECD Indicators, Table A1.3a, p. 36 ( ). 4. [↵][9]1. I. Kurilla , “Reforming Russia's Higher Education System,” PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo No. 153 (2011). 5. [↵][10]1. R. Petrov , Eur. J. Legal Educ. 5, 26 (2009). [OpenUrl][11] [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-3 [4]: #ref-4 [5]: #ref-5 [6]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [7]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [8]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [9]: #xref-ref-4-1 View reference 4 in text [10]: #xref-ref-5-1 View reference 5 in text [11]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DEur.%2BJ.%2BLegal%2BEduc.%26rft.volume%253D5%26rft.spage%253D26%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx