European Higher Education Area. Formation of a single educational and cultural space in Europe and individual regions of the world

In modern Europe, processes related to unification affect various areas and go beyond the EU. Moreover, new areas are emerging that are beginning to develop according to uniform rules. These new areas include higher education. Moreover, if the EU today has 25 members and almost 60 years of history, then the integration processes in the field of higher education, called the Bologna process and which began at the very end of the 1990s, currently cover 40 European countries. In other words, integration in the field of higher education has become an area that is developing extremely intensively, despite the language barrier, the presence of national characteristics in the field of education that have developed over centuries, etc. What are the reasons for this pace of integration?

Europe in the second half of the 20th century experienced at least two periods during which it was faced with the problem of its lag behind other regions. A certain technological lag between European countries and the United States and Japan emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. This made itself felt in subsequent years. As a result, in Europe, bank plastic cards and related services were introduced later and more slowly than, for example, in the United States, the cellular telephone network developed, and the Internet was introduced. It should be noted that in terms of the massive use of a number of technological innovations, developed European countries in the early 1990s. began to yield not only to the USA and Japan, but also, for example, to countries such as South Africa, where back in the early 1990s. the system of ATMs, payment utilities by computer through the national network, as well as the development of the cellular telephone network.

A kind of “second call” for Europeans was the fact that the United States, as well as Australia, are beginning to intensively provide educational services. This article becomes a significant item of their export. In particular, V.I. Bidenko writes that since the early 1990s. The number of European students who studied in the United States exceeded the number of American students studying in Europe.

The fact that European education was lagging behind was not only of economic significance. Europe, with its cultural historical traditions, of which university education was an integral part, began to give way to the “nouveau riche” in this area.

All this forced the Europeans in the late 1990s. seriously engage in reform in the field higher education. It was initiated by Great Britain, Germany, Italy and France. At a meeting at the Sorbonne in 1998, the ministers of education of these countries signed the Sorbonne Declaration, which marked the beginning of the integration of higher education space in Europe. It was based on the University Charter (Magna Charta Universitetum), adopted in 1988 in Bologna in connection with the celebration of the 900th anniversary of the oldest European university. The University Charter emphasized the autonomy of the university, its independence from political and ideological dogmas, the connection between research and education, the rejection of intolerance and its focus on dialogue.

A kind of “formalization” of the process of creating a unified educational space was the signing of the Bologna Declaration of 1999, which gave the name to the process itself. This declaration is based on the following principles:

■ two-level higher education, the first level is aimed at obtaining a bachelor's degree, the second - a master's degree;

■ credit system, which is a unified record of the learning process in all countries (what courses and to what extent the student has attended);

■ independent control of the quality of education, which is based not on the number of hours spent on training, but on the level of knowledge and skills;

■ mobility of students and teachers, which assumes that in order to gain experience, teachers can work for a certain period, and students can study at universities in various European countries;

■ the applicability of knowledge of university graduates in Europe, meaning that the specialties for which personnel are trained will be in demand there, and trained specialists will be employed;

■ attractiveness of European education (it is planned that innovations will promote the interest of Europeans, as well as citizens of countries in other regions, in receiving European education).

Russia signed the Bologna Declaration in September 2003 and began the process of reforming higher education.

The restructuring of higher education in all countries included in the Bologna process is far from easy for many reasons, including those related to the need to “break” many established traditions, structures, and teaching methods. In all countries included in the Bologna process, discussions are ongoing on issues of integration of the pan-European space; both active supporters and opponents have emerged. The main thing behind the debate is the socio-political consequences that the creation of a pan-European educational space will entail.

The Bologna process will undoubtedly deepen and expand pan-European integration. Comparability of the main parameters of higher education technology (levels of education, terms, etc.) will make it possible, on the one hand, to make clear the level of qualifications of graduates, on the other hand, to formulate general requirements for the knowledge and skills of graduates within Europe for each specialty, thereby ensuring the highest mobility of qualified work force. Moreover, the Bologna process, which involves partnerships between European universities, will make it possible to prepare a single European political, economic, technical, scientific and other elite. The same process will be facilitated by the mobility of students and teachers, which is also provided for by the Bologna process. As a result, graduates of European universities will enter the professional sphere with many interpersonal contacts established during the study period with their classmates from different countries.

Inclusion in a single pan-European educational space will make it possible to solve, or at least mitigate, a number of problems that exist between states, including in the post-Soviet space. One example is Russia's relations with the Baltic states in connection with the Russian language in these countries, in particular in Latvia. Both states joined the Bologna Process: Latvia - since 1999, Russia - since 2003. Latvia has been a member of the EU since 2004, and within the framework of Russia-EU cooperation programs, education occupies one of the priority places. Both countries have had a single higher education system for a long time, so Latvia represents Russian education well. Education systems of both countries in the early 1990s. faced largely similar problems. All this contributes to the development of cooperation in the field of higher education between Russia and Latvia, and good knowledge of the Russian language by Latvian residents becomes an important advantage for Latvia in the development of such cooperation. At the same time, for the Russian-speaking population of Latvia, within the framework of the Bologna process, which provides for the mobility of students and teachers, new opportunities for studying and teaching in Russia are opening up.

The development of integration in the field of education also contributes to the development of democratization. At one time, universities played a significant role in the formation and development of democracy in Europe. Today, the university, being, according to the Sorbonne Declaration, the main structural unit of the Bologna process, has the potential to once again play an important role in this area. The university community is by its nature networked, and democracy implies predominantly networked social connections and relationships. Increasing the role of education (respectively, universities) in the socio-economic and political life Europe will lead to further development of network relations in various fields.

Along with positive points The Bologna process will also entail a number of problems. One of the groups consists of problems associated with various types stratification of European society, which is, in principle, characteristic of other regions, but within the framework of intensively ongoing educational reform they can manifest themselves with particular force.

Improving the quality of higher education will lead to increased differences between the educated elite and the rest of the population, which in turn will encourage less qualified and more conservative sections of the population to refuse further development of European integration and the growth of nationalism. Considering that today this stratification is already quite clearly evident, the intensification of these processes may turn out to be critical. However, a lot depends on the universities. If various programs are developed, according to which universities will become not only the most important units of integration of higher education, but also part of civil society, which implies educational, expert, advisory activities, i.e. openness of universities to society, then this socio-cultural gap can be significantly reduced.

An increase in the number of Europeans with higher education degrees will entail a new flow of less skilled labor from Arab, Asian and African countries. The change in the ethnic composition of Europe, accompanied by the spread of different cultural norms and values, is a problem (at the end of 2005, Europe was already faced with manifestations of violence) and requires the development of appropriate socio-economic programs.

The Bologna process will entail a restructuring of the university community, in which at least three strata will be distinguished. The first stratum is the most successful and prestigious universities (in certain areas or in general), fully included in the Bologna process, which, given that educational services are becoming an increasingly important source of income, will form a kind of “consortia”, trying to monopolize the educational sphere. The second stratum is universities that will partly belong to the “first circle”, but strive to enter it completely. Finally, the third stratum is “outsider” universities operating on the brink of survival. The boundaries between strata will be fluid, and in addition to cooperative ties and relationships between them, fierce competition will unfold. Of course, competition between universities still exists today, but in the context of corporate relations it will be more severe.

The socio-political consequences of the integration of the educational space in Europe may be a change in the role of regions and cities. On the one hand, we can expect intensive development of cities in which the largest university centers are located, on the other hand, the specialization of these universities depending on the profile of the city or region, since this provides a number of advantages (inviting highly professional specialists to the university, students undergoing internships in relevant organizations etc.). Thus, if we take the sphere of international political and economic relations, then the problems of multilateral diplomacy, international organizations and multilateral negotiations turn out to be relevant for Geneva universities, issues of European integration - for universities in Brussels, and international finance - for London. As a result, we can expect increased regionalization and even a kind of “megapolization” of Europe, which means a significant change in the socio-political and economic appearance of the continent.

The development of the Bologna process in Europe stimulated the raising of questions about the unification of educational spaces in other states, where it is largely decentralized (in particular, in the USA), and regions. This entails the problem of “docking” the educational system of Europe with the educational systems of other countries and regions of the world, “docking” the systems of higher education and secondary education, as well as the requirements and norms of some treaties and organizations and others (in the WTO, for example, education is considered as a service ).

Thus, education is increasingly becoming the area where the most important socio-economic and political problems modernity, which poses the task of conducting multi-level international negotiations on the entire range of educational problems.

CONTROL QUESTIONS

1. What place do education and knowledge occupy in the modern world?

2. How did the material and time costs of education change by the end of the 20th century, as well as the income of persons with different level education?

3. What is the impact of new technologies on the educational process?

4. How does globalization manifest itself in education?

5.What are the main characteristics of the Bologna process?

5. What is decentralization of education?

6. What determines the processes of commercialization and privatization of education?

7. What is the role of the state in the modern educational process and the main tasks that it solves?

1. The Bologna process: growing dynamics and diversity: documents from international forums and opinions of foreign experts / ed. IN AND. Bidenko. M.: Research Center for Problems of Quality of Training of Specialists: Russian New University, 2002.

2. Bologna process: problems and prospects / ed. MM. Lebedeva. M.: Orgservis, 2006.

3. Inozemtsev B.JI. Outside the economic society. M.: Academia, 1998.

4. Inozemtsev VL. A fractured civilization. M.: Academia: Nauka, 1999.

5. Larionova M.V. Main events in the field of educational policy in the EU in the second half of 2007 // Bulletin of international organizations. 2008. No. 2.

6. Lebedeva M.M. The policy-forming function of higher education in the modern world // World economy and world politics. 2006. No. 10.

7. Lebedeva M.M., Faure J. Higher education as the potential of “soft power” of Russia // Bulletin of MGIMO (U). 2009. No. 4.

Among the sources of international law on educational issues establishedregionalinternational communities, highest value have acts adopted by the Council of Europe, of which the Russian Federation is a member.

In 1994 At the Vienna meeting, the UN General Assembly adopted the official proclamation of the UN Decade for Human Rights in Education for 1995-2004. and developed Action Plan for the Decade. Within the framework of this Plan, emphasis was placed on civic education in a pan-European spirit. The goal of the Decade is to raise it to the rank of law by the end of the Decade respect for human rights to education And fixation of the appropriate structure of directions of action in national legislation. This document assumes and directs European countries to develop educational policies to introduce universal compulsory schooling throughout the world, to uphold fundamental human rights and justify the need for systematic and motivated education. In order to implement the Plan, state governments must play an active role in the implementation of its programs, thereby developing national action plans to protect human rights to education.

Among the documents adopted by the Council of Europe in the last decade on education issues, the program “Values ​​of learning in society” is of no small importance. Elementary law in civic education. Secondary education for Europe”, emphasizing that the personality of a European is closely connected with citizenship, and that education for democratic citizens is a condition for strengthening European national unity. It was in this document that the idea of ​​uniting the national communities of the European space was consolidated. States, according to this document, must adhere to the course of democratization of education as an obligatory component of educational policy, understanding of freedoms in education, balance of rights and responsibilities at the local, regional, national and international levels.

Thus, the educational policies of leading countries Western Europe since the late 90s was focused on providing social, economic, political guarantees, ensuring equal access to any education throughout life; the widest possible coverage of the population with education, increasing the level and quality of education of the population; providing a person with maximum opportunities in his choice of his path to education, improving educational conditions and educational environment for all subjects of the educational process; stimulation and development scientific research, the creation of special funds and scientific institutions for these purposes; allocation of funds for the development of the educational environment, technological and information support for education systems; expanding the autonomy of educational institutions; creation of an interstate educational space within the European Union.

At the same time, the regulatory documents stipulated that each country is developing its own ways to achieve a qualitative change in education and create favorable conditions for people with different abilities, capabilities, interests and inclinations to receive any education.

The growing process of integration leads to the need to develop appropriate agreements on the mutual recognition of educational documents and academic degrees, which implies diversification 38 higher education.

Lisbon Declaration. A proposal for the development of a single, joint convention that would replace the European conventions on higher education, as well as the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in the States of the European Region, was presented at the 16th session of the Permanent Conference on university problems. The proposal to carry out a joint study on the possibility of developing a new convention was also approved by the twenty-seventh session of the General Conference of UNESCO.

Adopted in 1997 in Lisbon Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Relating to Higher Education in the European Region, is a production document of the legal framework of international educational cooperation in more than 50 countries of the world. Accession to this Convention makes it possible to enter into a single legal field in this area with potential parties to the Convention, which are all states of Europe, the CIS, as well as Australia, Israel, Canada, the USA, where the problem of recognition Russian documents education is particularly pressing. The Convention brings together a variety of educational documents, which are called “qualifications” in it - school certificates and diplomas of primary vocational education, all diplomas of secondary, higher and postgraduate vocational education, including doctoral degrees; academic certificates about completion of periods of study. The Convention states that those foreign qualifications are recognized that do not have a significant difference with the corresponding qualifications in the host country.

Within the framework of the Convention, governing bodies establish a list of foreign diplomas, university degrees and titles of foreign countries, which are recognized as equivalent to national educational documents, or such recognition is carried out directly by universities, which establish their own criteria, and, this procedure occurs under the conditions of a concluded bilateral or multilateral agreement at the level of governments or individual universities;

The two most important instruments in the procedure for mutual recognition of educational documents mentioned in the Convention are the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), which allows the establishment of a unified international credit system, and the Diploma Supplement, which provides a detailed description of qualifications, a list academic disciplines, grades and credits received.

The UNESCO/Council of Europe Diploma Supplement is generally seen as a useful means of promoting the openness of higher education qualifications; Therefore, efforts are being made to promote the use of the Diploma Supplement on a wider scale.

Sorbonne Declaration. The first step towards building a united Europe was Joint Declaration on the Harmonization of the Structure of the European Higher Education System(Sorbonne Declaration), signed by the ministers of education of four countries (France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain) in May 1998.

The Declaration reflected the desire to create a unified body of knowledge in Europe, based on a reliable intellectual, cultural, social and technical basis. Institutions of higher education were given the role of leaders in this process. The main idea of ​​the declaration was the creation in Europe of an open system of higher education that could, on the one hand, preserve and protect the cultural diversity of individual countries, and on the other hand, contribute to the creation of a unified teaching and learning space in which students and teachers would have the possibility of unrestricted movement and all the conditions would be in place for closer cooperation. The Declaration envisaged the gradual creation in all countries of a dual system of higher education, which, among other things, would provide everyone with access to higher education throughout their lives. A unified system of credits, facilitating the movement of students, and the Convention on the Recognition of Diplomas and Studies, prepared by the Council of Europe jointly with UNESCO, to which most European countries joined, should have contributed to the implementation of this idea.

The Declaration is an action plan that defines the goal (creation of a European higher education area), sets deadlines (until 2010) and outlines a program of action. As a result of the implementation of the program, clear and comparable degrees of two levels will be formed (undergraduate and postgraduate). The duration of training for obtaining the first one will not be shorter than 3 years. The content of education at this level must meet the requirements of the labor market. A compatible credit system and a common quality assessment methodology will be developed, and conditions will be created for freer movement of students and teachers. All these obligations were assumed by 29 European countries that signed the Declaration.

Bologna Declaration and"The Bologna Process". The formation and development of the European educational and legal space was not limited to the events and processes discussed. IN modern period The European educational space, primarily higher education, is going through a period called the “Bologna process,” the beginning of which is associated with the adoption of the Bologna Declaration.

1999 in Bologna (Italy), the authorities responsible for higher education in 29 European countries signed Declaration on the Architecture of European Higher Education which became known as the Bologna Declaration. The Declaration defined the main goals of the participating countries: international competitiveness, mobility and relevance in the labor market. The ministers of education participating in the Bologna meeting confirmed their agreement with the general provisions of the Sorbonne Declaration and agreed to jointly develop short-term policies in the field of higher education.

Having confirmed their support for the general principles of the Sorbonne Declaration, the participants of the Bologna meeting committed themselves to ensuring the achievement of goals related to the formation of a pan-European higher education space and support for the European system of the latter on the world stage and drew attention to the following set of activities in the field of higher education:

Adopt a system of easily “readable” and recognizable degrees;

Adopt a system with two main cycles (incomplete higher education/complete higher education);

Introduce a system of educational loans (European Efforts Transfer System (ECTS);

Increase the mobility of students and teachers;

Increase European cooperation in the field of quality education;

To increase the prestige of higher European education in the world.

The text of the Bologna Declaration does not indicate the specific form of the Diploma Supplement: it is assumed that each country decides this issue independently. However, the integration logic of the Bologna process and the decisions made during its course will most likely contribute to the adoption by European countries of the single Diploma Supplement described above in the foreseeable future.

Of all the EU countries that have switched to the ECTS loan system, only Austria, Flanders (Belgium), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden have already legally introduced a funded education loan system.

As for the provisions of this document, it can be said that not all European countries have adequately accepted its provisions in their national regulations. Thus, the Netherlands, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia included or reproduced its provisions verbatim in national government documents reflecting educational policy on reforming higher education. Five other countries - Austria, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Belgium - have adopted its provisions in the context of planned activities to improve education. Other countries, including the UK, Germany and Italy, have determined that actions already planned under educational programs will, as they are implemented, be synchronized with the requirements stated in the Declaration.

Among the main documents and activities aimed at developing the process of mutual recognition of qualifications and competencies in the field vocational education and studying in the European Union, we point out the following:

1. Lisbon resolution, adopted at the European Council meeting in March 2000. The resolution formally recognizes the central role of education as an economic and social policy, and also as a means of increasing Europe’s competitiveness on a global scale, bringing its peoples closer together and the full development of its citizens. The resolution also sets out the strategic goal of transforming the EU into the world's most dynamic knowledge-based economy.

2.Action plan for the development of mobility and skills, adopted at the EU meeting in Nice in December 2000 and provides for a number of measures to ensure: comparability of education and training systems; official recognition of knowledge, skills and qualifications. This document also contains an action plan for the European social partners (member organizations of the European Social Partnership), which have a central role in the implementation of the decisions taken.

3.Report “Specific tasks for the vocational education and training systems of the future”, adopted at the European Council meeting in March 2001. in Stockholm. The report contains a plan for the further development of the main areas of joint activities at the European level in order to achieve the objectives set in Lisbon.

4. Recommendation of the European Parliament and the Council, accepted June 10, 2001 Contains provisions for enhancing mobility within the community for students, learners, teachers and mentors, following up on the mobility action plan adopted in Nice in December 2000.

5.Conference in Bruges(October 2001) At this conference, the leaders of the EU countries initiated a process of cooperation in the field of vocational education, including in the field of recognition of diplomas or certificates of education and qualifications.

Undoubtedly, the most urgent thing at the present time is to increase the level of familiarization of the Russian scientific and pedagogical community, primarily, of course, working in the field of higher professional education, with the above-mentioned basic documents and, especially, with the requirements that Russia will have to fulfill as a participant in the “Bologna process” " In this regard, one cannot help but mention the work of one of the most active researchers and popularizers of the Bologna reforms - V.I. Bidenko, whose works have won well-deserved authority 39. In this manual, we will only briefly touch upon this topic, recommending that the reader consult these sources independently.

The main components and requirements of the “Bologna process” arising from the Bologna Declaration are as follows.

Obligations of participants. Countries accede to the Bologna Declaration on a voluntary basis. By signing the Declaration, they assume certain obligations, some of which are limited in time:

From 2005, start issuing free uniform European supplements to bachelor's and master's degrees to all graduates of universities in countries participating in the Bologna process;

By 2010, reform national education systems in accordance with the basic requirements of the “Bologna process”.

Mandatory parameters of the “Bologna process”:

Introduction of a three-level system of higher education.

Transition to the development, accounting and use of so-called “academic credits” (ECTS) 40.

Ensuring academic mobility of students, teachers and administrative staff of universities.

Availability of a European diploma supplement.

Ensuring quality control of higher education.

Creation of a single European research area.

Unified European assessments of student performance (quality of education);

Active involvement of students in European educational process, including by increasing their mobility;

Social support for low-income students;

Lifelong education.

To the optional parameters of the “Bologna process” relate:

Ensuring harmonization of educational content in areas of training;

Development of nonlinear student learning trajectories and elective courses;

Introduction of a modular training system;

Expansion of distance learning and electronic courses;

Expanding the use of academic ratings of students and teachers.

Of particular importance for understanding the meaning and ideology of the “Bologna process” is its educational and legal culture, which consists in the recognition and acceptance of the following levels of higher education and corresponding academic qualifications and scientific degrees:

1. Three levels of higher education are being introduced:

The first level is bachelor's degree (bachelor's degree).

The second level is magistracy (master's degree).

The third level is doctoral studies (doctor degree).

2. Two models are recognized as correct in the “Bologna process”: 3 + 2 + 3 or 4 + 1 + 3 , where the numbers mean: the duration (years) of study at the bachelor's level, then at the master's level and, finally, at the doctoral level, respectively.

Note that the current Russian model(4 + 2 + 3) is very specific, if only because the “specialist” degree does not fit into the presented models of the “Bologna process” (a), the Russian bachelor’s degree is a completely self-sufficient first-level higher education (b), technical schools, colleges, vocational schools and high schools, unlike many Western countries, are not authorized to issue a Baccalaureate(c) diploma.

3. An “integrated master’s degree” is allowed, when an applicant upon admission undertakes to obtain a master’s degree, while the bachelor’s degree is “absorbed” in the process of master’s preparation. An academic degree (third level of higher education) is called “Doctor of Science”. Medical schools, arts schools, and other specialty schools may follow other, including single-tier, models.

Academic credits - one of the most specific characteristics"Bologna process". The main parameters of such “lending” are as follows:

Academic credit called the unit of labor intensity educational work student. In one semester, exactly 30 academic credits are awarded, for academic year– 60 academic credits.

To obtain a bachelor's degree, you must earn at least 180 credits (three years of study) or at least 240 credits (four years of study).

To obtain a master's degree, a student must generally complete a total of at least 300 credits (five years of study). The number of credits for a discipline cannot be fractional (as an exception, 0.5 credits are allowed), since adding up the credits for a semester should give the number 30.

Credits are awarded after successfully passing (positive assessment) the final test in the discipline (exam, test, test, etc.). The number of credits awarded in a discipline does not depend on the grade. A student's attendance in classrooms is taken into account at the discretion of the university, but does not guarantee the accrual of credits.

When calculating credits, the labor intensity includes the classroom load (“contact hours” in European terminology), the student’s independent work, abstracts, essays, coursework and theses, writing master's and doctoral dissertations, internships, internships, preparing for exams, passing exams, etc.). Ratio of classroom hours to hours independent work not centrally regulated.

A – “excellent” (10 percent of passers).

B – “very good” (25 percent of passers).

C – “good” (30 percent of passers).

D – “satisfactory” (25 percent of passers).

E – “mediocre” (10 percent of passers).

F (FX) - "unsatisfactory".

Academic mobility - another characteristic component of the ideology and practice of the “Bologna process”. It consists of a set of conditions for the student himself and for the university where he receives his initial training (basic university):

The student must study at a foreign university for a semester or academic year;

He is taught in the language of the host country or in English language; takes current and final tests in the same languages;

Studying abroad under mobility programs is free for students; - the host university does not charge money for tuition;

The student pays for himself: travel, accommodation, meals, medical services, training sessions outside the agreed (standard) program (for example, studying the language of the host country on courses);

At the base university (to which the student entered), the student receives credits if the internship is agreed upon with the dean’s office; he does not complete any disciplines during his studies abroad;

The university has the right not to count toward its program academic credits that the student received at other universities without the consent of the dean’s office;

Students are encouraged to obtain joint and double degrees.

Autonomy of the university is of particular importance for ensuring the tasks facing the participants in the Bologna process. It manifests itself in the fact that universities:

In the current conditions, within the framework of the State Educational Standards of Higher Professional Education, they independently determine the content of training at bachelor/master levels;

Independently determine the teaching methodology;

Independently determine the number of credits for training courses (disciplines);

They themselves decide to use non-linear learning trajectories, a credit-module system, distance education, academic ratings, and additional grading scales (for example, 100-point).

Finally, the European educational community attaches particular importance to the quality of higher education, which, in a certain sense, can and should be considered as a key component of the Bologna educational reforms. The position of the European Union in the field of ensuring and guaranteeing the quality of education, which began to take shape in the pre-Bologna period, comes down to the following main theses (V.I. Bidenko):

Responsibility for the content of education and the organization of education and training systems, their cultural and linguistic diversity, rests with the state;

Improving the quality of higher education is a matter of concern for the countries concerned;

The variety of methods used at national level and the accumulated national experience should be complemented by European experience;

Universities are called upon to respond to new educational and social demands;

The principle of respect for national educational standards, learning objectives and quality standards is observed;

Quality assurance is determined by Member States and must be sufficiently flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances and/or structures;

Quality assurance systems are created within the economic, social and cultural context of countries, taking into account rapidly changing situations in the world;

It is expected that there will be a mutual exchange of information about quality and systems for guaranteeing it, as well as the equalization of differences in this area between higher education institutions;

Countries remain sovereign in choosing quality assurance procedures and methods;

Adaptation of quality assurance procedures and methods to the profile and goals (mission) of the university is achieved;

Purposeful use of internal and/or external aspects of quality assurance is practiced;

Multi-subject concepts of quality assurance are being formed with the involvement of various parties (higher education as an open system), with mandatory publication of results;

Contacts with international experts and cooperation in providing quality assurance on an international basis are being developed.

These are the main ideas and provisions of the “Bologna process”, reflected in the above-mentioned and other educational legal acts and documents of the European educational community. It should be noted that the Unified State Examination (USE), which has become the subject of heated debate in recent years, is not directly related to the “Bologna process”. The completion of the main Bologna reforms in the participating countries is planned for no later than 2010.

In December 2004, at a meeting of the board of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the problems of Russia’s practical participation in the “Bologna process” were discussed. In particular, the main directions for creating specific conditions for full participation in the “Bologna process” were outlined. These conditions provide for operation in 2005-2010. first of all:

a) two-level system of higher professional education;

b) a system of credit units (academic credits) for recognition of learning results;

c) a system for ensuring the quality of educational institutions and educational programs of universities that is comparable with the requirements of the European Community;

d) intra-university systems for quality control of education and involvement in external evaluation activities of universities of students and employers, as well as the creation of conditions for the introduction into practice of an application to a diploma of higher education, similar to the European application, and the development of academic mobility of students and teachers.

The global educational space unites national educational systems different types and levels that differ significantly in philosophical and cultural traditions, the level of goals and objectives, and their qualitative state.

Therefore, we should talk about the modern global educational space as an emerging one organism if there are global trends in each educational system and diversity is preserved:

• 1) desire for democratic system education, that is, the availability of education to the entire population of the country and the continuity of its stages and levels, the provision of autonomy and independence to educational institutions;
• 2) ensuring the right to education for everyone (the opportunity and equal chances for every person to receive an education in an educational institution of any type, regardless of nationality and race).

“The world organism is a continuous whole.” Cicero;

• 3) significant influence of socio-economic factors on obtaining education (cultural and educational monopoly of certain ethnic minorities, paid forms of education, manifestations of chauvinism and racism);
• 4) increasing the range of educational and organizational activities aimed both at satisfying diverse interests and at developing students’ abilities;
• 5) expansion of the educational services market;
• 6) expanding the network of higher education and changing the social composition of the student body (becoming more democratic);
• 7) in the field of education management, the search for a compromise between strict centralization and complete autonomy;
• 8) education becomes a priority object of financing in developed countries peace;
• 9) constant updating and adjustment of school and university educational programs;
• 10) a departure from the focus on the “average student”, increased interest in gifted children and young people, in the peculiarities of the disclosure and development of their abilities in the process and means of education;
• 11) search for additional resources for the education of children with developmental disabilities and disabled children.

World education is polystructural: it is characterized by spatial (territorial) and organizational structures.

In solving the problems of global education, large international projects and programs become important, since they necessarily involve the participation of various educational systems. Major international projects include:

• - ERASMUS, the purpose of which is to ensure the mobility of students of the European Council (for example, within the framework of the program, up to 10% of students must study at a university in another European country);
• - LINGUA is a program for increasing the effectiveness of learning foreign languages, starting from the elementary grades;
• - EUREKA, whose task is to coordinate research with countries of Eastern Europe;
• - ESPRIT is a project that involves combining the efforts of European universities, research institutes, and computer companies in the creation of new information technologies;
• - EIPDAS is a program to improve educational planning and management in Arab countries;
• - TEMPUS is a pan-European program aimed at developing the mobility of university education;
• - IRIS is a system of projects aimed at expanding vocational education opportunities for women.

New organizational structures of an international nature are emerging: international and open universities.

The polystructural nature of world education allows us to analyze metablocks, macroregions and the state of education in individual countries. In the world, types of regions are distinguished based on mutual convergence and interaction of educational systems (A.P. Liferov).

The first type consists of regions that act as generators of integration processes. The most striking example of such a region is Western Europe. The idea of ​​unity became the core of all educational reforms of the 1990s in Western European countries.

The desire to establish “European identity” and “citizenship” is supported by a number of European projects in such areas of education and culture as the popularization of national literatures, the expansion of foreign language teaching, the increase in the network of libraries, and the “European City of Culture” project.

The significance of European integration processes is not limited to the territory of Western Europe alone. The experience and impulses of internationalization have a positive impact on the interaction of national educational systems in other parts of the world.

The first type of regions can also include the USA and Canada, but their integration efforts in the field of education are implemented in a different situation. A new Asia-Pacific region (APR) is being formed in the world - a generator of integration processes. It includes the following countries: Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. All these countries are characterized by a strategy of increased requirements for the quality of education and training.

The “Asian economic miracle” of the Asia-Pacific countries is based on a number of factors. One of the decisive factors is the financial priority of education. Most Asia-Pacific countries have developed a developed higher education system. For example, in the Republic of Korea, about 1/3 of all graduates high school enter universities. Over 30% of Taiwanese schoolchildren also go to study at universities (for comparison: in Germany - 18%, Italy - 26%, Great Britain - 7%).

Nowadays, every third foreign student in the world comes from Asia-Pacific countries. By the end of the 20th century, the educational potential of this region had increased sufficiently. Japan has the highest share of advanced degrees among countries in the world - 68%, compared to 25% in the United States.

The Republic of Korea ranks first in the world, per capita, in the number of people receiving doctoral degrees.

Government expenditures on education in developed countries amount to about 950 billion US dollars per year, and on average, the education of one student at all levels is $1,620. The second type includes regions that respond positively to integration processes. First of all, these are countries Latin America.

Both in the process of history and at present, Latin America finds itself in the zone of integration impulses from the United States and Western Europe. Geographically, this was embodied in the participation of this region in the integration processes of the Western Hemisphere at the all-American, regional and super-regional levels and the inclusion of Latin American countries in the implementation of a number of international projects with European countries. Latin American countries view ties with Europe as a means of weakening economic and political dependence on the United States, as well as an opportunity to protect the developing process of culture formation from the total North American influence, the main elements of which remain European cultural traditions and residual elements of autochthonous Indian cultures.

Compared to other developing countries, this region is characterized by more high level elements of education infrastructure. For example, the production of books per 1 million inhabitants is 2-4 times higher than the average for developing countries. The number of teachers at all levels of education is 1.5 times higher than the world average and is almost equal to the indicator for the group of developed countries. There is a gradual decline in illiteracy, the spread primary education, development of the higher education system. However, the development of education is predominantly extensive, a kind of “massification” character.

Latin America is implementing a program called the UNESCO Major Project on Education for Latin America and the Caribbean. Within its framework, by the year 2000, it is planned to completely eliminate illiteracy, provide all school-age children with an eight- or ten-year education, and become competitive in the world market. At the subregional level, integration processes cover groups of countries, which to a certain extent are characterized by territorial, historical and cultural community: “Andean group”, “Contadora group”, “Rio group”, “group of three” - Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela. Processes at this level are substantively aimed at coordinating development efforts common standards school and university education, quality of training of specialists, prevention of “brain drain”. The Latin American Common Knowledge Market project is being implemented at the regional level. To coordinate it, a corresponding body has been created - the Meeting of Ministers of Education, whose meetings are held in different countries. The all-American level of development of educational integration is in its infancy and will largely be determined by the tasks of the emerging economic space of the Western Hemisphere and overcoming political and cultural expansion on the part of the United States. All modern models Latin American education are prototypes of American ones or their modifications. Among Latin American countries, Brazil and Argentina have long been guided by the American model of education. Mexico and Costa Rica are looking for other ways to develop their educational systems, based on close contact with Europe. The growing network of “open” universities is also helping to reduce US influence. Such universities operate at the University of Brasilia, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and the universities of Costa Rica and Colombia. Latin American states (especially Mexico and Chile) are developing cooperation with Japan and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region in matters of education and culture. Public spending on education in Latin America and the Caribbean averages about $50 billion per year, and the cost of education per student is about $500.

The third type includes those regions that are inert to the integration of educational processes.

This group includes most of the countries of Africa south of Africa (except South Africa), a number of states in South and Southeast Asia, small island states basins of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Duration schooling in a number of African countries it is below the minimum - 4 years. In these regions, the illiterate population predominates. For example, about 140 million sub-Saharan Africans remain illiterate. The lowest duration of schooling is in Nigeria - 2.1 years, followed by Burkina Faso - 2.4 years, Guinea - 2.7 years, Djibouti - 3.4 years. According to UNESCO, in primary schools In countries such as Nigeria or Guinea, only 30% of children have textbooks. The material base of education is extremely low. The student-teacher ratio (average number of students per teacher) in this region is one of the highest in the world. For example, in Burundi this figure is 49, in Kenya - 39, in Namibia - 38, while the world average is 16, and in developed countries of the world - 23. In these regions there are no prerequisites for the formation of viable national higher education systems. A real opportunity to support connections between the countries of this region and the global scientific and educational community is seen in sending students to study abroad. In countries such as Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Rwanda, the number of students per 100,000 inhabitants ranges from 16 to 60 people. For comparison: in the Republic of Korea - about 4000, Lebanon - more than 3000, Argentina - 3300, Venezuela - about 3000, the USA about 6000. There is a gigantic gap in the quality of education between the south and north of Africa. In Africa (sub-Saharan) government spending Education costs average about $9 billion per year, and about $70 per student. By the end of the 20th century, regions were identified in which, for a number of economic, political, and social reasons, the sequence of educational and integration processes was disrupted. These regions include Arab countries, Eastern Europe and the countries of the former USSR. In Arab countries, there is a tendency to identify four regions that tend toward internal integration, including the education sector. These are the regions of the Maghreb (including Libya), the Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan), the Persian Gulf ( Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain), the countries of the Red Sea coast and Mauritania. In these countries, there is extreme unevenness in the development of secondary and higher education. 2/3 of the illiterate population of the Arab world is concentrated in Egypt, Sudan, Mauritania, and Algeria. In Arab countries, government spending on education is approximately $25 billion per year (as of the early 1990s), and about $300 per student.

In the countries of Eastern Europe and the former USSR, due to political instability, economic crisis and social disintegration, there is a decline in the development of education. The latter is financed on a residual basis, with a tendency towards diversification of sources of funding for secondary and higher schools. The influence of the United States and other countries has led to a gradual transition of higher education to a multi-level system of education and training of specialists. The education systems of Eastern Europe and the former USSR have undergone a “perestroika” based on a desire for democratization. In the 1980-90s, a massive innovative movement in the field of school education was formed in Russia. It manifested itself in the search for new things: school models, educational content, educational technologies.

Despite the slow intraregional reintegration, the countries of Eastern Europe and the former USSR retain common elements of educational infrastructure suitable for use in integration processes of different levels and scales. These countries give priority to connections with educational institutions in the West or with their “foreign” historical neighbors. International contacts with the educational systems of the USA and other developed countries are intensifying as a desire to enter the global educational space. In the process of international assessment of the level of development of the higher education system (based on data from the early 1990s), groups of countries were identified according to the following indicators: GNP (gross national product) per capita of the country and the number of students per 100,000 inhabitants. Based on the data obtained, we can conclude that practically unlimited access to higher education of the population is typical only for countries of group I: the USA, Canada, Germany, Japan and Finland.

By the end of the 20th century, the number of students worldwide was about 1060 million people, and the proportion of the literate population aged over 15 years was only 75%. Compared to the data of the 1960s, by the beginning of the 1990s the number of foreign students, graduate students and interns in all countries of the world increased almost eight times and exceeded 1 million 200 thousand people. In fact, two out of every hundred people in the world who receive higher education are foreign students. A significant share of all international student exchanges take place in Europe. The pedagogical systems of developed countries are characterized by a tendency to synthesize science, education and production through the creation of the largest technopolises.

Technopolises impress with their scale, scientific, educational and technical potential. In the formation of such technology parks, the leading role belongs to higher education institutions. For example, in Japan, 2/3 of the country’s scientific personnel (about 80 research and educational institutions), where hundreds of thousands of students from 50 countries study, are concentrated in such a center, which unites both companies and higher education institutions and research institutes, in where fundamental and applied research is carried out. Large scientific potential is concentrated on the basis of a number of universities in the south of France - the “High Technology Road”.

The formation of a unified global educational space is facilitated by the development of distance learning.

Systems distance learning based on the use of a computer network and satellite communications. They make it possible to solve educational problems on the scale of entire continents. This is how the project of a unified European learning environment is being implemented. The Swedish Baltic University, which unites more than 50 universities in ten countries in the Baltic region, serves as an example of the use of distance learning methods. In the United States (as of the mid-1990s), more than 1 million students participate in the distance learning program.

Global distance learning systems operate in the world: “Global Lecture Hall”, “University of Peace”, “International Electronic University”, ensuring the exchange of information online. It was in connection with the development of distance learning methods that world education received one of powerful tools formation of their unified space. Now it is able to involve many countries in integration processes in the field of education and training of specialists and equalize the qualitative state of the components of the global educational space.

Over the past two hundred years, a unique system of school and higher education has been formed in Russia. By the end of the 20th century, it included over 900 universities of all forms of ownership (federal, regional and private). The teaching staff of Russian higher education is 240 thousand people, of which about 20 thousand are doctors and about 120 thousand are candidates of science. The number of Russian teachers is 25% of the number of university teachers around the world.

The student population of Russian universities remains unchanged for recent years unchanged (2.7 million people). In terms of volume, this is comparable to the number of students at universities in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Poland combined. In terms of the number of students per 10 thousand population, Russia is on a par with France, Japan, Germany, and Italy. However, it is almost three times behind the United States and four times behind Canada. Moreover, only the European part of Russia concentrates 1/4 of the total number of universities in Russia and the same share of the student population.

According to 1995 data, the number of government educational institutions in Russia amounted to 70,200, more than 500 non-state schools and about 200 private higher educational institutions.

On average in the country, there are 14 students per teacher in a public secondary school, private school- 4 people, for one teacher of a state university - 11 people. In Russia there are 252 orphanages, about 2,000 boarding schools, and 5,530 out-of-school institutions. World education is characterized by very important trends, especially evident at the end of the 20th century.

The first trend is the widespread orientation of most countries towards the transition from elite education to high-quality education for all. The second trend is the deepening of interstate cooperation in the field of education.

Development activity this process depends on the potential of the national education system and on equal terms of partnership between states and individual participants.

The third trend involves a significant increase in the humanitarian component in global education in general, as well as through the introduction of new human-oriented scientific and educational disciplines: political science, psychology, sociology, cultural studies, ecology, ergonomics, economics. Another important trend in the development of global education is the significant spread of innovations while maintaining established national traditions and the national identity of countries. biographical reform post-Soviet

Therefore, the space becomes multicultural and socially oriented towards the development of man and civilization as a whole, more open to the formation of an international educational environment, supranational in the nature of knowledge and the familiarization of people with world values. The spatial structure of world education embodies territorial and statistical proportions in the development of the national system of each country, individual regions and continents, and global interaction between the education systems of individual countries and regions. The global educational space is characterized by such properties as dynamism, internationality and different density of connections between components and concentrations of educational systems.

As a result of global integration processes, by the end of the 20th century, separate types of regions were formed. The latter were organized on the basis of international cooperation in the field of education and the degree of influence on the development of education in other countries and regions.

These include the region of Western Europe, the USA and Canada, Latin America, Africa (except South Africa), Asia-Pacific and the region of the former USSR and Eastern Europe. The function of normative and legal support for the development of the global educational space is performed by UNESCO.

Globalization is causing revolutionary processes not only in the world of economics and finance, not only in the labor market and the media - its influence on education systems is becoming increasingly clear. The words about “competition of educational regions” are openly heard, suggesting the Anglo-Saxon model of competition between everyone and everyone – states, universities, professors, students.

Certificates of higher education (CBO) should be comparable across Europe. This agreement was signed by 29 European states in the Italian city of Bologna. The goal of the Bologna Declaration is to create a “European Higher Education Area”. One of the results is the introduction of a two-stage system of higher education, consisting of Bachelor and Master degrees, which are awarded throughout Europe according to the same criteria. The Bologna Process promotes student mobility in Europe. To date, 45 countries have signed the declaration.

In 2003, Russia signed the Bologna Declaration and thereby intensified the process of its entry into the pan-European educational community. Already, the Bologna movement has covered almost all the largest universities in the Russian Federation. The need for highly qualified specialists is great at all times. Current situation in Russia modern production, dynamically changing under the influence of technological progress, raises the question of increasing the efficiency of professional training of specialists, their professional competence and predetermines the need to improve the quality of education.

The processes of globalization of the economy, the formation of the information society and the integration of the Russian system of higher professional education into the global educational space have set before our pedagogical science the task of bringing the traditional Russian scientific apparatus into conformity with the system of pedagogical concepts generally accepted in Europe.

Based on this, we must formulate the task in this way: It is necessary to take advantage of the opportunities that the experiment provides to significantly improve the quality of training of specialists and really bring the essential content of education closer to the level of leading European universities. In this case, it is necessary to take into account both the basic provisions of the credit-modular system for training specialists (CMTS) and the European credit transfer system, as well as the requirements of Russian legislation in the field of education. When introducing innovations, it is desirable, to the maximum extent possible, to adhere to the principles on which domestic education has been based until now. Moreover, the Bologna Convention, as is known, proclaims a desire to preserve the originality of the content and forms of teaching educational programs, and, consequently, both national and local academic autonomy.

The realities of today are such that in a few years Russian universities will have to switch to a two-stage “Bachelor-Master” system of international standard, and those that can do this in a timely and high-quality manner will be able to continue their educational activities. At present, some aspects of the Bologna movement remain unclear; there are numerous discussions on the topic of whether it is worth changing the education system in Russia at all, whether a bachelor’s degree will be recognized in enterprises, how to properly build economic relations at a university during the transition to new system and much more. No matter how much is said about the formation of a pan-European educational space, most Russians have not heard anything other than big words - “Bologna Agreement”, “bachelors and masters”, “two-level system”. Meanwhile, very soon these concepts will enter our lives.

So, what changes do the third generation state educational standards imply? The need for government educational standard higher professional education (GOS VPO) matured in the 90s in connection with the emergence of many new educational institutions and the expansion of their academic freedoms. After the collapse of the USSR, the education sector was in dire need of standardization. The Ministry of Education on the part of the state and educational and methodological associations on the part of universities have developed and implemented the State Educational Standards of Higher Professional Education system, which has been operating for more than 15 years. Its third, most innovative edition is coming.

Abroad, the education system has eight qualification levels. Primary and secondary schools correspond to the first to fifth levels, and university education begins at the sixth level. Bachelor - sixth level, Master - seventh, highest level

According to available estimates, in developed countries, 60% of the increase in national income is determined by the increase in knowledge and education of society. In particular, it was found that an increase in education by one grade of secondary school ensures, on average, an increase in the number of submitted innovation proposals by 6 and reduces the time required for workers to master new operations by 50%. Calculations have been repeatedly published in various countries, from which it follows that training costs pay off faster than equipment costs.

Problems of professional guidance, quality of training, reduction of the role professional qualifications, the problem of the lag in the structure and volume of training of qualified workers from the requirements of enterprises is the most important problem in the education of young workers industrial enterprises. Along with these problems, the general and professional culture of young workers requires in-depth study.

The Bologna process is a process of rapprochement and harmonization of higher education systems in European countries with the aim of creating a single European higher education space. The official start date of the process is considered to be June 19, 1999, when the Bologna Declaration was signed.

The decision to participate in the voluntary process for the creation of the European Higher Education Area was formalized in Bologna by representatives of 29 countries. To date, the process includes 47 participating countries from the 49 countries that have ratified the European Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe (1954). The Bologna process is open for other countries to join.

Russia joined the Bologna Process in September 2003 at the Berlin meeting of European education ministers.

At the Ministerial Conference, which took place in March 2010 in Budapest and Vienna, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Bologna Process, the creation of the European Higher Education Area was officially announced, meaning that the goal set out in the Bologna Declaration was fulfilled.

The benefits of the Bologna Process: expanding access to higher education, further improving the quality and attractiveness of European higher education, increasing the mobility of students and teachers, and ensuring successful employment of university graduates by making all academic degrees and other qualifications labor market oriented. Russia’s accession to the Bologna process gives a new impetus to the modernization of higher professional education, opens additional features for the participation of Russian universities in projects funded by the European Commission, and for students and teachers of higher educational institutions - in academic exchanges with universities in European countries.

The United States not only observes the process of European educational integration, but also actively participates in it. In 1992, a working group was created at UNESCO to develop a regulatory framework to ensure the possibility of mutual recognition of educational documents between European and American countries. However, after two years it was not possible to reach a consensus; it turned out that one of the main problems on the way to the convergence of the two educational systems is the problem of comparing the European mutual recognition system of credits (ECTS) with the American credits system.

According to Russian education experts, Russia's accession to the Bologna process could lead to temporary confusion with curriculum. The Bologna process gave a lot to the development of education in Russia, in particular, it forced us to seriously and critically think about what we have, and outlined certain steps to move and change this system. One of the serious problems of integrating the Russian education system into the Bologna process is insufficient awareness officials both about the current state of affairs in Russian and European education, and about the goals of the Bologna process. According to the majority of Russian experts in the field of higher education, as well as leading Russian scientists, Russia’s transition to a two-level system will lead to the final collapse of the entire domestic higher education system.

Since 2005, national projects have been launched in Russia to improve the health of Russian society and solve important social problems. The number of priority projects proposed for consideration by the President of the Russian Federation includes the national project “Education”, the implementation of which began in 2006.

In addition to the creation of new educational institutions in the country, including the opening of new universities, Russian Federation a tradition of educational grants, incentives for the best teachers in Russia, etc. appears. The formation of a qualitatively new teaching staff of the Russian teaching staff allowed the government to begin implementing planned modernization Russian education, one of the components of which is the introduction throughout the country of the Unified State Exam as the most effective method of monitoring the quality of knowledge and identifying talented students at the exam stages who are ready to further engage in scientific research

Since 2008, the Russian higher education system has switched to a two-level system – bachelor and master.

Since 2007, the priority national project “Education” has included a new direction - annual governmental support on a competitive basis, training of workers and specialists for high-tech industries in state educational institutions NGOs and SPOs. In accordance with this direction of the national project “Education” in Russia, resource centers are being created on the basis of innovative NGO and SVE institutions, designed to play a significant role in the development of lifelong education in the region.

In 2007, Salavat Industrial College became the winner of the competition within the framework of the priority national project "Education". To educational institution allocated 70 million rubles from the federal budget and OJSC Salavatnefteorgsintez for the implementation of the Deepening practical training with the aim of training highly qualified workers for high-tech petrochemical and oil and gas refining industries within the framework of secondary vocational education programs."