Focus on the effects of university proliferation

With a population of 4.6 million, Kyrgyzstan has over 60 universities, but beyond the image of an overeducated country lies the reality of poor standards, corruption and unemployment for the vast majority of Kyrgyz graduates. Too many universities Forty of the universities are state-owned, the rest being NGO or private institutions. While the number of 175,000 students sounds impressive, education experts agree the country does not need and, moreover, cannot afford so many institutions of higher education. This month, the Kyrgyz education minister announced that she would dissolve 110 faculties of the 60 universities in an effort to rationalise the higher education system. However, this is only a small part of the problem. "There are too many universities in Kyrgyzstan. The government is not assuming its responsibilities in regulating and monitoring the higher education system," Aleksandr Yarkov, the deputy rector of the Kyrgyz-Slavonic University, told IRIN. One of the reasons for this multiplicity of universities can be found in the Soviet heritage. "For Kyrgyz nomads, higher education was the symbol of assimilation, and guaranteed prestigious employment during the entire Soviet period. The image of the Soviet Kyrgyz intellectual with a big flat and a nice car is so strong, parents want to have all their children go to university, not realising that this pattern is not relevant any more," Avazbek Atakhanov, founder of the Institute of Oriental languages and Cultures, told IRIN. Before independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there were fewer than 10 universities in Kyrgyzstan. Strict entry examinations meant that very few young people could actually have access to higher education, but those who succeeded in gaining entry were given key positions after graduation as a matter of course. Today, given the large number of universities, there are few restrictions on enrolment. The result has been a general reduction of requirements from both students and academic staff. Many of the new areas of study introduced into Kyrgyzstan's system had previously been unknown in the country, with the result that the very few specialists qualified to provide tuition in them often have to teach in two to five different institutions with very little coordination between departments. Corruption One factor adversely affecting the Kyrgyz educational system is widespread corruption. Whereas this is officially denied, it is generally acknowledged that corruption has become an integral part of university life. Students refer to it by the Russian expression "razvodit ekzamen", which means paying for a mark for each subject. "It is very easy. You insert banknotes in your student record book at every page to be signed by your professor. The mark you get depends on how much money you offer," Bolot Dzhanaev (name changed), a student attending a Bishkek state university, told IRIN. Lists are circulated within each university, defining the price of every signature, including the price for a full diploma, which can be as high as several thousand dollars - and that in a country where the urban average monthly salary is US $50. This situation explains why most Western institutions refuse to recognise diplomas from this region. "But even for us it is of great concern. How can we trust a young doctor who claims to be a qualified specialist, but might simply have bought his diploma?" Atakhanov stressed. The main factor cited as stimulative of corruption is low staff salaries. On average, university lecturers and professors earn between US $20 and 40, while rectors receive $60. "You can only fight corruption by offering decent salaries, and this is our policy: all our staff start at a minimum of US $100," David Huwiler, president of the American University in Kyrgyzstan (AUK), told IRIN. Psychology also plays an important role. "Corruption is not only an economic problem. It is linked to the Soviet-period mentality of protecting your network and not taking responsibilities as a human being, but relying on or blaming the government. It is the 'take today and don't think about tomorrow' attitude, Yarkov explained. The fact that state universities are financed by the government also contributes to the reinforcement of corruption, as the state is unable to provide the funds needed for the simple maintenance of university buildings. "In almost all state universities, 70 to 80 percent of the students pay for their studies. Universities cannot function without this money, and, of course, they cannot refuse to issue those students with diplomas," said Atakhanov. Elite club The result is that there is a tiny group of leading universities enjoying foreign support, while the rest remain of poor quality. Regarded as Kyrgystan's top universities are the AUK, the Kyrgyz-Slavonic University, the Kyrgyz-Turkish University of Manas, and, to a lesser extent, the Kyrgyz State National University. Founded in 1997, the AUK counts has an enrolment of 1,000 students from Kyrgyzstan and the region. It is the only American campus in Central Asia, and issues both Kyrgyz and American diplomas. "Our success is due to the fact we are truly democratic, unlike most universities here. Students take an active part in policy-making, they control the system. Our goal is to transform society and bring values that differ from the Soviet heritage. Kyrgyzstan needs journalists, economists trained in Western standards," Huwiler said. Established in 1992 by presidential decree, the Slavonic University is a Kyrgyz-Russian institution, financed by Kyrgyzstan and Russia, and issues both Kyrgyz and Russian diplomas to its graduates. It has 4,000 students, mostly from the Russian community of Kyrgyzstan, but also ethnic Kyrgyz, students from all parts of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as well as from Turkey, China, Iran, Korea, India and Nepal. "Our Slavonic University is a vector of Russian thought and Russian language. It is essential to have a European presence and culture in Central Asia now that extremism is mounting all over the region. We can be a balance between East and West," Yarkov told IRIN on 1 November. The Manas Kyrgyz-Turkish University was established in 1997 and has 1,400 students from Kyrgyzstan and the CIS, as well as Turkey. Unlike other universities, 50 percent of its students come from rural areas. Included under the Turkish education system, Manas University delivers Kyrgyz and Turkish diplomas. "Our students are immediately exposed to a market-economy environment: half our staff is Turkish, and our students go on training in Turkey to have a first hand-experience of Western standards. Moreover, all our students speak four languages - Kyrgyz, Turkish, Russian and English," Anvar Mokeev, the deputy rector of the Manas University, told IRIN. The Kyrgyz State National University - the largest, with 24,000 students - includes prestigious departments such as the Kyrgyz-American Faculty, and the Kyrgyz-European Faculty, which is linked to Grenoble University in France. "Our advantage is that we have European standards, and we are developing on the long-term to develop research and start-ups within a European frame of mind," Chinara Adamkulova, the dean of the Kyrgyz-European Faculty told IRIN. Annual student fees at elite universities vary from $500 to $1,600, with the exception of Manas University, where education is free of charge for all students. Brain drain Due to the difficult transition to market-economy, Kyrgyzstan, like many other countries in the region, is losing its talents to a massive brain drain. By now, 10 percent of Kyrgyzstan's population has already migrated to Russia, Kazakhstan and elsewhere. "Almost 100 percent of our graduates have been able to find jobs in Kyrgyzstan in top companies, international organisations, because we combine theory and practice during our studies," said Ruslan Yakhtanigov, head of the Office for Career Services at AUK. But for 90 percent of Kyrgyz students studying at other universities, the main concern is to find a job and, very often, any job. Unofficial statistics indicate that the real unemployment rate in Kyrgyzstan reaches 40 percent, which includes many university graduates. "Take the law departments, which are now the most coveted by parents for their children. The Kyrgyz State National University alone produces 1,000 law graduates every year. How can a small, economically underdeveloped country like Kyrgyzstan absorb those people?," Atakhanov pointed out. But even many of those attending the top universities believe they will be unable to find jobs in Kyrgyzstan. "I will move to Russia as soon as I graduate. My parents have already moved to Moscow," Katya Shmakova, a third-year economy student at the Kyrgyz-Slavonic University told IRIN. "I plan to find a job in Russia, because here it is too small," said Saodat Asanova, a third-year journalism student from Tajikistan at AUK. "People say this overgrowth of universities is a normal, because we are in the process of democratisation, and only the stronger universities will survive. Yet, in the meantime, we are fooling many parents and students with this chaotic situation," Mokeev concluded.