Educating for an Open Society
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WORKING DOCUMENTS W 108 EDUCATING FOR AN OPEN SOCIETY HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AS A CATALYST FOR THE EMERGENCE OF A SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRATIC MARKET ECONOMY Richard H. Jones The Hague, June 2000 EDUCATING FOR AN OPEN SOCIETY 2 ISBN 90 346 3836 7 PREFACE PREFACE This study surveys the progress in reforming the system of higher education in Central and Eastern European countries. Such a reformed system plays a pivotal role in the sustainability of their transformation, by delivering the professional knowledge required in a modern society, and by contributing to developing attitudes conducive to an open, democratic society. The overview given by dr. Jones, the author of this study, shows a picture of mixed progress. Many innovations have taken place in the countries under scrutiny. At the same time, sustained reforms are sometimes hampered by considerable obstacles, among which a structural lack of resources for higher education. However, although the process of change is far from finished, dr. Jones concludes that it has by now acquired a dynamic of its own. This study has been written for the project ‘Enlargement of the EU to Central and Eastern Europe’, which the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) is currently undertaking. It offers background material to answering the central questions of this project: to what extent will the accession cause problems for the proper functioning of the Union, and, hence, to what extent will reform of the existing institutions be necessary to maintain their effectiveness, legitimacy and cohesion? 3 In preparing for its forthcoming report to the government on these matters, the WRR has commissioned a number of studies and assessments. Background studies on ‘closer co-operation within the EU, and on ‘administrative capacity of accession countries’ have recently been published. Others will be published in the months to come. Dr. Richard H. Jones is an independent expert on international relations and higher education. Among his numerous activities was his close involvement in establishing the Anglo-American College in Prague. Prof. Michiel Scheltema Chairman WRR CONTENTS CONTENTS Introduction 11 1 Central and Eastern Europe and the challenge of EU accession 19 1.1 Introduction 19 1.2 The Copenhagen criteria 19 1.3 International and intergovernmental higher education initiatives 20 1.3.1 Council of Europe 20 1.3.2 Bologna declaration 1999 21 1.3.3 The Lisbon Convention 1997 23 1.3.4 Nordic Council and European Union 24 1.4 CEE membership of intergovernmental education bodies 24 1.4.1 UNESCO 24 1.4.2 OECD 26 1.5 CEE membership of international non governmental educational bodies 26 1.5.1 The Association of European Universities 27 1.5.2 The European Association for International Education 27 1.5.3 The European Community Studies Association 28 1.5.4 HUMANE and ESMU 28 5 1.6 Western educational research institutes 29 1.6.1 Institute for Human Sciences 29 1.6.2 Institute for Comparative Education Research 30 1.7 American initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe 30 1.7.1 Foundations 30 1.7.2 Salzburg seminar 31 1.7.3 Alliance of universities for democracy 31 1.7.4 Artes liberales 32 1.8 Conclusions 33 2 The unending prologue – national and inter- national agendas for higher educational reform 37 2.1 Introduction 37 2.2 Two aspects of higher education reform 37 2.3 Liberal education versus career training 39 2.4 The globalisation of competition 40 2.5 Conclusion 40 EDUCATING FOR AN OPEN SOCIETY 3 Education for democratic citizenship 43 3.1 Introduction 43 3.2 The challenge of democracy 43 3.3 Civil/civic society and NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe 45 3.4 Preparing citizens for democracy 48 3.5 The role of the schools 51 3.5.1 Roma 51 3.5.2 Minority language schools 52 3.5.3 Schools and society 53 3.5.4 Developing national school civics curricula 54 3.5.5 History textbooks 56 3.5.6 Higher education and history 57 3.5.7 Materials and teachers 59 3.6 The role of higher education 59 3.6.1 Teachers training 60 3.6.2 Civics programmes in higher education 61 3.7 Conclusions 62 4 Reforming the structure of the higher education sector 67 4.1 Introduction 67 6 4.2 Government expenditures on higher education 68 4.2.1 The historical legacy 68 4.2.2 Falling real funding 69 4.3 The European Union, the World Bank and higher education reform 70 4.3.1 The European Union’s PHARE/TEMPUS programme 70 4.3.2 World Bank loans 71 4.4 Laws on higher education 71 4.4.1 Council of Europe legislative reform programme 72 4.4.2 Academic freedom and autonomy 73 4.4.3 The Romanian education laws 73 4.5 University structure 74 4.5.1 A Hungarian-language university in Romania? 75 4.5.2 University regionalisation 75 4.6 Research and the higher educational sector 76 4.6.1 Universities and academies of science 76 4.6.2 New forms of cooperation 77 4.6.3 University enlargement 78 4.6.4 The Hungarian ‘Universitas’ 78 4.6.5 Private research and university research 79 4.7 University degrees 79 4.8 Numbers in higher education 81 4.8.1 Admission requirements 82 CONTENTS 4.8.2 Rising enrolments 82 4.8.3 Effects of rising enrolments 83 4.9 Distribution between subjects 84 4.10 Higher vocational education 86 4.11 Private universities and higher education colleges 88 4.11.1 The growth of the private sector 89 4.11.2 Philanthropic university foundations 89 4.11.3 World universities 90 4.11.4 Foreign financed universities 91 4.11.5 Indigenous private colleges and universities 91 4.11.6 The private sector in Bulgaria 92 4.11.7 The future of private higher education 93 4.12 Elitism and mass education 94 4.12.1 The Invisible College, Budapest 95 4.12.2 The New Europe College, Bucharest 95 4.12.3 Academia Istropolitana Nova Bratislava 96 4.12.4 The College of Europe, Warsaw 96 4.12.5 Collegium Budapest 97 4.13 Income from other sources 97 4.13.1 Consultancy 98 4.13.2 Industry-higher education partnerships 98 4.14 Tuition fees 99 4.14.1 The Slovenian example 100 7 4.14.2 The situation elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe 100 4.15 Conclusion 102 5 University autonomy 107 5.1 Introduction 107 5.2 Higher education autonomy and government control 107 5.3 Contradictions of autonomy 108 5.4 Higher education and society 108 5.5 Higher education and industry 109 5.6 Higher education and regional development 110 5.7 Autonomy and good governance 111 5.8 Conclusion 112 6 Problems and innovations in higher education 115 6.1 Introduction 115 6.2 Blockages on the road to reform 115 6.2.1 Ministries, governments, and reform 115 6.2.2 Opposition within the universities 116 6.3 The changing status of lecturers 117 6.3.1 Lecturer’s pay 118 6.3.2 Brain drain 118 6.3.3 Doctoral studies 118 EDUCATING FOR AN OPEN SOCIETY 6.3.4 Lecturer profile 119 6.4 Teaching methodologies for a new era 120 6.4.1 Staff development 120 6.4.2 Staff development programmes in East and West 121 6.5 Books and teaching materials 122 6.5.1 Foreign projects 123 6.5.2 Foreign-language book donations 123 6.5.3 National-language book publishing 124 6.5.4 Crisis in publishing 125 6.5.5 Academic publishing 125 6.5.6 Open society center for publishing development 126 6.5.7 The fund for Central and East European book projects 127 6.6 Innovative strategies 128 6.6.1 The New Europe College, Bucharest 129 6.6.2 The civic education project 129 6.6.3 EuroFaculty 129 6.7 Curriculum reform and the TEMPUS programme 130 6.7.1 TEMPUS at work 131 6.8 George Soros and the Open Society Foundation 132 6.9 Conclusion 133 7 Mobility and cooperation 139 8 7.1 Introduction 139 7.2 Regional outflows and regional cross-flows 139 7.3 European Union student mobility programmes 140 7.3.1 The European Union’s SOCRATES programme 140 7.4 Regional mobility schemes 141 7.4.1 Collegium Polonicum and cross-border mobility 142 7.4.2 The ‘adjacent programme’ and regional mobility 143 7.4.3 The CEEPUS programme and intra-regional cooperation 143 7.5 The internal effects of increasing regional and international mobility 144 7.5.1 Internationalisation offices 145 7.5.2 Course modules and course credits 146 7.5.3 Quality assessment, accreditation and evaluation 147 7.6 Visiting lecturers 149 7.6.1 The civil education project (CEP) 150 7.6.2 EuroFaculty 152 7.6.3 The problems of foreign assistance 154 7.7 Conclusions 155 8 Reforming higher education curricula in the post-communist era 159 8.1 Introduction 159 8.2 Interdisciplinary studies 160 CONTENTS 8.3 Renewal in the social sciences 161 8.4 A case study: the faculty of social sciences at Charles University, Prague 164 8.5 Social sciences in the Czech Republic 167 8.6 The revival of sociology in Central and Eastern European universities 169 8.6.1 Participation in international projects 171 8.6.2 Regional academic journals and conferences 172 8.7 Problems of sociological research in the post-communist world 173 8.8 The regional revival of political science and international relations 174 8.9 European Union studies as a litmus test of transition 176 8.10 Teaching European law at higher education level 180 8.11 Business studies 182 8.12 Economics 184 8.13 Public administration 185 8.14 Nurturing responsible journalism 187 8.15 Conclusion 190 9 Higher education and lifelong learning 195 9.1 Introduction 195 9.2 Lifelong learning in Central and Eastern Europe 196 9 9.2.1 Commercialisation of adult training 196 9.2.2 Part time study in higher education 196 9.2.3 Universities of the third age 197 9.3 Virtual education and the internet 197 9.4 Distance learning 198 9.5 Continuing education 200 9.5.1 TEMPUS supported programmes 201 9.6 Conclusions 202 10 General conclusions 205 Annex: Selected statistical indicators 211 Economic indicators 211 Educational indicators 212 Literature 215 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Abbie Hoffman1 once wrote: “Democracy is not something you believe in or a place you hang your hat, but it’s something you do.