Nearly 30% of leading Russian universities could be forced to close and merge with other institutions this year because of a shortage of students and the implementation of a state plan to consolidate the higher education sector.Nikolay Bulaev, Head of the Federal Agency for Education, said that this year about 100 universities would be merged with "stronger competitors". But no names have yet been released.
Bulaev said the mergers would enhance the quality of higher education, reduce the number of universities engaged in the training of professionals not in demand in the Russian labour market and provide a "rational use of budgetary funds".
He said the demographic crisis in Russia could also be a partial reason for the mergers.
An initiative to close some universities was first announced at a conference at Russia's Ministry of Education last month. According to state plans, this year universities with no more than 500 students would have to stop further admissions, while institutions with 300 students or less would be closed.
Analysts believe the proposed reductions in the number of national universities could be closely related to the current demographic decline which will mostly affect regional universities. But a proposed bill on strengthening control over institutions, and the simplification of administrative procedures for licensing and accreditation, are other factors.
According to the Russian government, adoption of the bill will encourage healthy competition in the domestic market for education services and make university graduates more competitive in the European job market
Meanwhile, most of the heads of Russian universities have already criticised the proposed merger, as it directly affects their interests.
Viktor Sadovnichy, Head of Moscow State University, one of Russia's largest, said the authorities were not paying adequate attention to the development of science in the country. Sadovnichy described the consolidation of universities as "filling holes".
Vladimir Vasiliev, President of the Saint-Petersburg Rectors' Council, said: "Consolidation of universities can result in a conflict among teachers. Such an idea has a lot of weaknesses and each university has its own corporate culture, which can lead to a conflict.
"Instead of this, the government must improve the quality of the teaching staff through increasing wages and the status of teachers."
Vasiliev said the government should not cut its grants to higher education because this was significantly less compared to the amount of money provided to high schools in developed countries.
Russia's Ministry of Federal Education assured concerned academics that the forthcoming consolidation would not affect the elite Russian universities such as Moscow State University, Moscow State Technical University, St Petersburg State University and some others.
It would also not severely affect students because combining high schools did not result in a decrease in their numbers.
At present, nearly 150,000 students are enrolled in Russian Agricultural Universities yet only a small minority can find work related to their studies after graduation.
Eugene Vorotnikov
28 March 2010
Issue: 117
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