OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education : Estonia
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OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education Tertiary of Reviews OECD OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education Estonia In many OECD countries, tertiary education systems have experienced rapid growth over the last decade. With tertiary education increasingly seen as OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education a fundamental pillar for economic growth, these systems must now address the pressures of a globalising economy and labour market. Within governance frameworks that encourage institutions, individually and collectively, to fulfil multiple missions, tertiary education systems must aim for the broad objectives Estonia of growth, full employment and social cohesion. In this context, the OECD launched a major review of tertiary education with the participation of 24 nations. The principal objective of the review is to assist countries in understanding how the organisation, management and delivery of tertiary education can help them achieve their economic and social goals. Estonia is one of 14 countries which opted to host a Country Review, in which a team of external reviewers carried out an in-depth analysis of tertiary education policies. This report includes: • an overview of Estonia’s tertiary education system; • an account of trends and developments in tertiary education in Estonia; • an analysis of the strengths and challenges in tertiary education in Estonia; and • recommendations for future policy development. Jeroen Huisman, Paulo Santiago, Per Högselius, Maria José Lemaitre and William Thorn This Review of Tertiary Education in Estonia forms part of the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education, a project conducted between 2004 and 2008 (www.oecd.org/edu/tertiary/review). Estonia This title has been produced using print-on-demand technology. If you have any comments or questions about OECD Print-on-Demand editions, please write to [email protected]. ISBN 978-92-64-03910-0 91 2007 08 1 P -:HSTCQE=UX^VUU: www.oecd.org/publishing OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education Estonia Jeroen Huisman, Paulo Santiago, Per Högselius, Maria José Lemaitre and William Thorn ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. © OECD 2007 No reproduction, copy, transmission or translation of this publication may be made without written permission. Applications should be sent to OECD Publishing [email protected] or by fax 33 1 45 24 99 30. Permission to photocopy a portion of this work should be addressed to the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC), 20, rue des Grands-Augustins, 75006 Paris, France, fax 33 1 46 34 67 19, [email protected] or (for US only) to Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, fax 1 978 646 8600, [email protected]. TABLE OF CONTENTS– 3 Table of contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Purposes of the OECD Review ................................................................... 5 1.2 The Participation of Estonia ........................................................................ 7 1.3 Structure of the Country Note ..................................................................... 9 2. National Context ............................................................................................ 11 2.1 Geography ................................................................................................. 11 2.2 History and culture .................................................................................... 11 2.3 Demography .............................................................................................. 12 2.4 Economy ................................................................................................... 12 2.5 Government ............................................................................................... 13 3. Context and Main Features of Tertiary Education ...................................... 15 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 15 3.2 Governance, steering and planning ........................................................... 15 3.3 Funding ..................................................................................................... 20 3.4 Quality assurance ...................................................................................... 23 3.5 Equity ........................................................................................................ 27 3.6 Research and innovation ........................................................................... 28 3.7 Human resource management ................................................................... 31 3.8 Links to the labour market ........................................................................ 33 3.9 Internationalisation .................................................................................... 34 4. Strengths and Challenges of Tertiary Education Policy .............................. 37 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 37 4.2 Governance, steering and planning ........................................................... 37 4.3 Funding ..................................................................................................... 40 4.4 Quality assurance ...................................................................................... 45 4.5 Equity ........................................................................................................ 49 4.6 Research and innovation ........................................................................... 53 4.7 Human resource management ................................................................... 61 4.8 Links to the labour market ........................................................................ 63 4.9 Internationalisation .................................................................................... 67 OECD REVIEWS OF TERTIARY EDUCATION – ESTONIA – ISBN 978-92-64-03910-0 – © OECD 2007 4 – TABLE OF CONTENTS 5. Pointers for Future Policy Development ....................................................... 71 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 71 5.2 Governance, steering and planning ........................................................... 71 5.3 Funding ..................................................................................................... 74 5.4 Quality assurance ...................................................................................... 77 5.5 Equity ........................................................................................................ 79 5.6 Research and innovation ........................................................................... 81 5.7 Human resource management ................................................................... 83 5.8 Links to the labour market ........................................................................ 84 5.9 Internationalisation .................................................................................... 87 6. Concluding Remarks ..................................................................................... 91 References .......................................................................................................... 95 Appendix 1. The OECD Review Team .............................................................. 99 Appendix 2. National co-ordinator, National Advisory Committee, and Authors of the Country Background Report ................................................... 101 Appendix 3. Programme of the Review Visit................................................... 103 Appendix 4. Comparative Indicators on Tertiary Education ......................... 107 This report is based on a study visit to Estonia