The Committee on Science and Education held an Enlarged Meeting to discuss the Bills on Higher Education
18 February 2011, 15:48
80 participants, rectors of higher
education establishments of Ukraine, representatives of ministries,
non-governmental and student organizations, and trade unions took part in the
discussion.
Under the order of V. Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the discussion concerned bills on higher education No.No.7486 and 7486-1.
The bill (Reg. No.7486) presents a new version of the Law "On Higher Education" that defines fundamental principles and state policy implementation in the sphere of higher education; management bodies and their authorities in the sphere of higher education; management bodies of higher education establishments and their authorities; educational levels and standards of higher education, licensing order of educational activity and accreditation of specialization, formation and conduction of the State register of higher education establishments, regulation of activity of the State Accreditation Commission of Ukraine.
It defines the tasks, legal status, types, structure, order of formation, reorganization and liquidation of higher education establishments, their rights and obligations; terms of enrollment; financial-economic relations in the system of higher education.
The Law (Reg. No.7486-1) (alternative) presents a new version of the Law "On Higher Education" that defines structure, content and standards of higher education; fundamental principles of state management in this sphere; types of higher education establishments and their legal status; structure of management in the higher education establishments system; rights and obligations of the education participants, etc.
The bill suggests such innovations as independent education quality testing of the entrants to the higher education establishments; liquidation of the accreditation levels (I-IV) of higher education establishments; introduction of a new educational-qualification degree ‘junior specialist´; liquidation of educational-qualification degree ‘specialists´ and its equation to Master degree; introduction of a new educational-academic degree and academic degree ‘Doctor of Philosophy´ and its equation to the academic degree ‘Candidate of Science.´
All the participants of the meeting exchanged their opinions concerning the bills and the reforms of the system of higher education in Ukraine.