ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP: A MISSING LINK IN HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE IN TIMES OF CHANGE?

"Thus far, based on the brief data analysis of interviews among university leaders, the paper argues that the transition towards the development of academic leadership is a complex context-sensitive process. In the next decade or so, academic institutions will have to develop capacities to lead changes on their own campuses and develop their roles beyond the followship of externally designed initiatives. Both the state and the higher education leadership are likely to understand that change does not happen on its own but needs to be led by professionals and effective leaders both within and beyond universities" - ..

Development of strategic directions for education reforms in Kazakhstan for 2015-2020

This study presents a roadmap report of current developments in the academic system of Kazakhstan. The report puts forward comprehensive reforms for the way the Kazakhstan educational system is developed, organised and financed. It takes into account the goals of the State Programme of Education Development for 2011-2020 and a number of the key reform measures that were currently under implementation, such as the system rationalization and quality assurance initiatives [1]. The report draws on the experience and expertise of a broad range of stakeholders, who generously contributed their views through more than 50 meetings and consultations throughout the year. The key themes of the study include i) preschool education; ii) secondary education; iii) teacher education; iv) higher education and v) vocational education and training. The recommendations are driven by two realities. First, Kazakhstan is poised for long-term prosperity through the development of market economy and investment. At the same time, the nation is experiencing challenges across different sectors of knowledge-based economy. For instance, there is strong lack of additional skills that the economy demands. To ensure skilled workforce is well used, the state will require further investment in education

CHANGING PATTERNS OF HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERSHIP IN KAZAKHSTAN

This paper has implied that higher education institutions over the Last 20 years have seen the emergence of different patterns of higher education Leadership in Kazakhstan. In 2010, new and ambitious targets for the development of collegial management in universities in a phased process of granting greater autonomy to universities were clearly formulated in the State Program of Education Development 2011-2020. University Leaders, having professional knowledge of the local features of higher education practices in Kazakhstan, may need to share their expertise and decision-making powers with the Boards of Trustees. In order to carry out the transition from the "state control model" to the "state supervisory model", both the state and universities need to build on the current developments of shared governance and raise institutional standards of accountability

Understanding the role of fundamental values in serving a larger purpose

At the end of the first day of the Forum, I hope we may come to an agreement that employability is an increasingly relevant performance indicator for universities. Traditionally the expectation has been that universities will develop the skills of students - particularly technical skills and ‘soft skills’. Supporting Jamil’s statement, I want to suggest that skills are no longer enough

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP: A MISSING LINK IN HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE IN TIMES OF CHANGE?

"Thus far, based on the brief data analysis of interviews among university leaders, the paper argues that the transition towards the development of academic leadership is a complex context-sensitive process. In the next decade or so, academic institutions will have to develop capacities to lead changes on their own campuses and develop their roles beyond the followship of externally designed initiatives. Both the state and the higher education leadership are likely to understand that change does not happen on its own but needs to be led by professionals and effective leaders both within and beyond universities" - ..

Understanding the transition of public universities to institutional autonomy in Kazakhstan

Although institutional autonomy has recently received significant attention from scholars and policy-makers in much of the world, few studies have been made of the universities in transition towards institutional autonomy in post-Soviet countries. Autonomy and its related concept of public accountability are relatively new phenomena in Kazakhstan's higher education system. Learning to be autonomous presents challenges for the universities in transition from state central control to the decentralization of education system. Based on qualitative data analysis, this paper examines university leaders and faculty members' understandings, experiences and perspectives in relation to the transition to autonomy at their institutions. Our findings show that the challenges of the transition to institutional autonomy combine Soviet legacies, current difficulties of central control, entrenched practices of university leadership and legally limited practices of the faculty. We argue that for actual autonomy to take place, the discussed socially and ideologically constructed complexities of the universities in transition need to be dealt with by policy-makers and researchers and, more importantly, university leadership

UNDERSTANDING FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF THE CURRENT STATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE IN KAZAKHSTAN

"In this paper, we have examined faculty perceptions of the current state of higher education governance in Kazakhstan. The purpose was to analyse the faculty's opinions and attitudes towards governance in their institutions. Several conclusions can be drawn from the findings. The first is that faculty was mostly unsatisfied with their level of involvement in governance, particularly in terms of the ways in which they communicate with upper management. Faculty would like to see proper feedback mechanisms in their communication channels with Vice Rectors and Rectors. Interestingly, the majority of faculty respondents claim that contemporary governance systems cannot respond appropriately to new social and academic realities. Most faculty members take their inactiveness for granted as they do not feel that their decisions will have an impact on institutional governance. However, the research has shown that faculty members are involved at the departmental level and feel comfortable about that." - ..

UNDERSTANDING FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF THE CURRENT STATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE IN KAZAKHSTAN

"In this paper, we have examined faculty perceptions of the current state of higher education governance in Kazakhstan. The purpose was to analyse the faculty's opinions and attitudes towards governance in their institutions. Several conclusions can be drawn from the findings. The first is that faculty was mostly unsatisfied with their level of involvement in governance, particularly in terms of the ways in which they communicate with upper management. Faculty would like to see proper feedback mechanisms in their communication channels with Vice Rectors and Rectors. Interestingly, the majority of faculty respondents claim that contemporary governance systems cannot respond appropriately to new social and academic realities. Most faculty members take their inactiveness for granted as they do not feel that their decisions will have an impact on institutional governance. However, the research has shown that faculty members are involved at the departmental level and feel comfortable about that." - ..

Learning autonomy: higher education reform in Kazakhstan

Higher education is a key economic and social priority in the global arena. Many countries have sought to advance reforms aimed at increasing access, promoting greater educational quality, and ensuring financial responsibility and sustainability. Often, strategies for achieving these aims are informed by experiences elsewhere. However, transporting education policy reforms can be problematic. Kazakhstan, a signatory of the Bologna Process, offers an example of a country seeking to improve student access and success and promote greater fiscal efficiency to advance the overall quality of its higher education system (Merrill in Int High Educ 59:26–28, 2010). A key strategy for achieving these goals is through reforms in university governance. In Central Asia, policy makers advance education reforms in order to accomplish several goals, including meeting “the new demands of ethnic nationalism, a globally competitive economy, and a labour market freed from administrative control” (Anderson and Heyneman 2005, p. 361). In Kazakhstan, policy makers have concluded that a system predicated on decentralized control with greater institutional autonomy (and accountability), along the lines of the US system, offers a promising strategy for improving the overall quality of its higher education system. This research collected on-site data on Kazakhstani higher education and presents the most recent data since efforts from OECD and World Bank in 2006 [OECD in Higher education in Kazakhstan (reviews of National Policies for Education). OECD, Paris 2007]. This research utilized semi-structured interviews with senior higher education administrators (53), members of the Ministry of Education and Science (6), a representative from the government (1), and experts from the World Bank (2) for a total of 62 participants. The results of the study show that academic leaders in Kazakhstan want greater autonomy. However, there is no clear consensus about what level of fiscal and academic autonomy is desirable and whether all institutions are prepared to manage themselves without Ministerial oversight. The roles of key constituents in academic governance have also not yet been clearly defined

Understanding the transition of public universities to institutional autonomy in Kazakhstan

Although institutional autonomy has recently received significant attention from scholars and policy-makers in much of the world, few studies have been made of the universities in transition towards institutional autonomy in post-Soviet countries. Autonomy and its related concept of public accountability are relatively new phenomena in Kazakhstan's higher education system. Learning to be autonomous presents challenges for the universities in transition from state central control to the decentralization of education system. Based on qualitative data analysis, this paper examines university leaders and faculty members' understandings, experiences and perspectives in relation to the transition to autonomy at their institutions. Our findings show that the challenges of the transition to institutional autonomy combine Soviet legacies, current difficulties of central control, entrenched practices of university leadership and legally limited practices of the faculty. We argue that for actual autonomy to take place, the discussed socially and ideologically constructed complexities of the universities in transition need to be dealt with by policy-makers and researchers and, more importantly, university leadership