Resumen de The Role of Higher Education in the Renewal of the Education and Training Systems of Central and Eastern Europe
Attempts at reforming education systems are under way in most Central and Eastern European countries. New education laws establishing the legal framework to operate these systems have been or are about to be adopted. Innovative thinking is taking place and cooperation with the West has made a significant start.
The impact of these efforts is, however, jeopardised by extremely severe budget constraints, often causing cuts in education expenditure. There is inadequate maintenance of buildings, there is a lack of funds for the acquisition of teaching and learning equipment and, above all, there are low salaries for teachers and other staff. Within the education sector, higher education is in direct competition with primary and secondary education for public finance.
Under such difficult circumstances, there is no point in proposing a radical overhaul of higher education systems which would stand little chance of being implemented. Progress will come from steady efforts aimed at restructuring those systems internally, mobilizing existing (but sometimes misused) resources, and providing incentives to influence the behaviour of the various participants–teachers, students, industry, educational administration etc.
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the contribution of higher education to the restructuring and reform of other sectors of the education and training systems in Central and Eastern Europe. It is organized around the four following key issues: (a) improving the connection between secondary and higher education, (b) developing the teacher training function of higher education, (c) strengthening the contribution of higher education to curriculum development at the secondary and primary levels, and (d) promoting continuing education within higher education.
