The traditional seminar of the Institute of Education HSE : the presentation of the book "Mass Higher education. BRIC Triumph? "
A high demand on education in the BRIC countries is caused by the lack of respect for manual labor.
The book tells about the changes which are taking place in Higher education in Brazil, Russia, India and China over the past two decades. The popularity of Higher education in these countries is extremely high. How does it affect the economy and politics? It is believed that the United States and Western Europe will soon cease to play the role of the world "source of manpower", because now 30 percent of entering the engineering professions worldwide are the citizens of India and China, said Isak Froumin.
The growing popularity of Higher education in the BRIC countries has common features, despite of the differences between them, stressed Martin Carnoy. Everywhere the ammpunt of households willing to fully or partially pay for university has increased , and the proportion of fee-paying students has grown as well. All BRIC countries universities are clearly divided into elite and others. Thus, the system of higher education continues to reproduce social and economic inequalities.
Those who are trying to get at least some Higher education, categorically do not want to come to work for a particular hour and to perform certain operations in strictly defined terms. However every country has its own peculiarities. In Russia and China the number of private universities almost does not increase , and generally private Higher education does not play a significant role, fee-paying students are taught mainly by public universities. In contrast, in India and Brazil there are many private universities: they prepare engineers and programmers. According to demographic projections, in Russia the demand for Higher education will fall and in India and China will grow. The government's capacity to influence the situation in Higher education in the BRIC countries also differs. In India and Brazil educational policy depends on public sentiment, and in China unpopular measures can be taken . In Russia, according to Martin Karnow, we have an intermediate situation.
In general, the fact that Higher education in the BRIC countries is becoming more widespread is a long and steady process associated with the development of the knowledge economy and changes in global labor markets. Each state responds to these changes, depending on their economic situation, especially the historical and cultural development.
HSE Rector Yaroslav Kuzminov, who participated in the seminar, assumed that the high demand for the university education in the BRIC countries is linked to their traditional contempt for manual labor. In Western Europe, where craft is still respected, the demand for Higher education is growing more slowly. University students in the BRIC countries want to find a job that does not require physical work, where you will be in a group of people with Higher education, where there is not a serious labor discipline. The latter is particularly important: those who are trying to get at least some higher education, categorically do not want to come to work for a particular hour and to perform certain operations at the exact same time. All this, of course, has serious consequences for the economies of the BRIC countries, including Russia.
What in this situation should be the Policy in Higher education?
According to Yaroslav Kuzminov, universities, where learning is difficult and where "loosers" are just "kicked out" must recruit students from the State budget. However Higher education which is not related to an elite High school shouldn't be completely free. Students usually study there not for the profession, but for socialization, and they want to spend a smaller effort on it, what is especially true for Russia. If they have to pay for education- even partly- there will be perhaps more responsible attitude. Anyway, the question how the extent of payment for education guarantees a responsible attitude needs additional research, said Rector of HSE.
Catherine Rylko, HSE News Service