Recent developments in higher education governance in Estonia Annika Tina Deputy head, HE department Estonian Ministry of Education and Research

1
Recent developments in higher education
governance in Estonia Annika TinaDeputy head,
HE department Estonian Ministry of Education and
Research
2
Outline of the Presentation

• Brief description of the Estonian Higher
  Education sector
• Main documents and activities shaping currently
  the HE Policy in Estonia
• Funding Higher Education in Estonia.

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Brief description of the Estonian higher
education sector
4
Change in the total number of HE institutions
from the academic year 1990/91 to 2008/09
5
Change in the total number of students in HE from
the academic year 1995/96 to 2008/09
6
Proportion of general secondary education
graduates 2008/09 who enrolled in HE at the same
year
7
Proportion of MST graduates and graduates in
social sciences, business and law 2008/09
8
Student distribution by age group in the academic
year 1993/94 and in 2008/09
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Number of potential secondary school graduates
will decrease rapidly by year 2016 (16-18 year
olds)
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Main documents and activities
shaping currently the HE Policy in Estonia
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Main documents shaping currently the Higher
Education Policy in Estonia

• Higher Education Strategy for 2006-2015 approved
  by the Parliament (2006). Lines of action
• Better linkages between higher education programs
  and the needs of the Estonian society and
  expectations of labor market (ESF budget
  2007-2015 approx 28,6 mil EUR)
• Internationalization (annual budget approx 8,6
  mil EUR, including ESF)
• Quality assurance (legislative amendments
  approved June 2008)
• Modernisation of funding system (discussions in
  HE Council)
• Higher Education Internationalization Strategy
  for 2015 (2007)
• OECD recommendationsThematic Review of Tertiary
  Education (2007).

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Key partners for MoER The Archimedes Foundation

• The HE Quality Agency is responsible for
  administering institutional accreditation and
  assessment of the quality of study programmes
• The Estonian ENIC/NARICs functions are the
  evaluation of foreign higher education
  qualifications
• Centre for Higher Education Development
  implements ESF programmes and runs the
  scholarship programmes for students and academic
  staff.
• The Centre of Educational Programmes coordinates
  and implements different EU programmes and
  projects.
• Implementing Agency of Structural Support for the
  programming period of 2007-2013 assess project
  applications in the area of RD and HE (budget
  8,6 billion EEK approximately 549,7 mil EUR).

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Key partners for MoER (2)

• Rectors Conferences are separate for public
  universities (6 institutional members), private
  universities (3) and for state and private PHEI-s
  (13). MoER consults Rectors Conferences on all
  legislative matters and other strategic decisions
  regarding HE policies.
• The Federation of Estonian Student Unions
  organization representing the student voice in
  all the various task forces under the auspices of
  MoER.
• The Estonian Employers Confederation and
  Estonian Chamber of Commerce participate in main
  working groups for preparing the policy
  documents.

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The stages of the Bologna process in Estonia (1)

• Pre-Bologna
• Credit-point system based on student workload
• Introduction of the accreditation system
• Ratification of the Lisbon Convention
• After the Ministerial meetings in Bologna and
  Prague (1999-2002)
• New degree structure
• Diploma Supplement
• After the Berlin Ministerial meeting (2003)
• Government Decree on designation of degrees
• Government Decree on correspondence of
  qualifications awarded before and after August
  20, 1991
• State support schemes for mobility
• Quality Assurance Agreement of Universities

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 Good practice of co-operation

• In 2003 The Quality Assurance Agreement was
  adopted by all public universities. Two private
  universities joined the agreement in 2004.
• Agreement establishes requirements for
  curricula, academic posts and academic degrees
  and includes an obligation to assess every year
  the performance of the agreement.

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The stages of the Bologna process in Estonia (2)

• After the Bergen Ministerial meeting (2005)
• Qualification framework
• Accreditation of Prior Learning (APEL)
• Strategy document for the internationalization of
  HE
• Regulation of the use of ECTS
• After the London Ministerial meeting (2007)
• Launching independent HE Quality Agency since
  1.01.09
• Legislative Framework for joint programs and
  diplomas
• Agreement on Good Practice for Internationalizatio
  n in Higher Education

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 Good practice of co-operation

• In 2007/2008 Agreement on Good Practice in the
  Internationalization of Estonian Higher Education
  Institutions has signed by the rectors of HEI-s
  (21) who are members of the Rectors Conferences.
  
• The purpose of the agreement is to specify the
  duties that Estonian HE institutions shall
  undertake and pledge to observe by executing any
  internationalization-related actions.  

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Launching independent Higher Education Quality
Agency (1.01.2009)

• Estonia has had an independent system of quality
  assurance in place since the mid-1990s.
• Higher Education Accreditation Centre, a member
  of ENQA, was responsible for organisation of HE
  quality assessment until the end of the 2008.
  HEAC included the Quality Assessment Council
  which was appointed by the Government and was
  operated under the jurisdiction of the Ministry
  of Education and Research.
• Although, the system was operating separately
  from the ministry - the final accreditation
  decision was approved by the minister as the
  state recognition of diplomas depended upon
  positive accreditation.
• Since January 2009 Estonian HE Quality Agency
  continues the work of HEAC and QAC, being
  autonomous and independent in quality assessment
  decisions. HEQA carries out a broader mission
  with aim to encourage the HE quality development
  and to value and dispread the best practice of
  quality assurance in Estonia HE sector.

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Higher Education Quality Agency

• The HEQA is comprised of an office where staff is
  responsible for organising assessments and an
  Assessment Council taking a decisions regarding
  quality.
• Assessment Council is a body that is comprised of
  13 members and shall include at least one expert
  from each broad area of study. Member of the
  council may be submitted by universities,
  institutions of professional HE, RD
  institutions, registered professional
  associations, associations of employers and
  associations of student bodies.
• The Higher Education Quality Agency shall involve
  additional experts in its activities, establish
  and disclose the conditions and procedure for
  institutional accreditation and quality
  assessment based on specifications of different
  types of educational institutions and undergo
  periodically an internationally recognised
  external evaluation.

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Quality assessment and recognition of diplomas

• Recognition of diplomas in "new system is not
  anymore directly tied into the system of
  accreditation. During 2009-2011 all HEI-s need to
  go through the external quality assessment
  exercise organised by the independent HEQA.
• Government will decide upon the degree awarding
  powers to institution in certain broad area of
  study. The decision is based on quality,
  availability of resources and sustainability of
  an educational process.
• The institution gets degree awarding power fully
  or with limitations - for three years.
• Decision on degree awarding powers entails
  recognition of diplomas. Since 2012, there will
  not be HEI in Estonia operating on legal basis
  and issuing diplomas without state recognition.
• Amendments to the law included also turning an
  institutional accreditation compulsory instead of
  voluntary as it has been so far. Accreditation of
  programs will continue but instead of looking
  into the one single program the accreditation
  commission will take more strategic view -
  assessing all programs in one study area at once.

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funding higher education
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The Basic Data on Funding

• The total funding for higher education (public
  combined with private resources) was 1.37 of GDP
  in 2005.
• The private sector counts for about 1/3 of
  overall educational expenditure in HE.
• Public expenditure on HE was only 1.07 GDP
  (2008)
• State-commissioned study places in first cycle
  are formed for an estimated 50 of persons who
  have acquired general secondary education and 10
  of persons who have completed secondary
  vocational education curricula.

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Funding for HE in 2008 (MoER)
TOTAL FUNDING (137.4 M EUR)
Bologna topics 9.9 mil EUR
Direct Subsidies for Operating Costs 7.1 mil EUR
State Commission 1 06.2 mil EUR
Students Study Allowances 14.2 mil EUR

• Quality Assurance
• ENIC/ NARIC
• Mobility schemes
• IT development
• Co-finance for ESF

- Commission for graduates in all three level in
the form of block grant.

• Study allowances
• Other direct support for students

• Co-finance for ERDF
• Academic libraries
• Univ. Clinic

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State Commission

• Finance from the public budget is provided
  primarily in the form of a block grant that
  covers the state-commission for graduates (since
  2002/03).
• Both public and private institutions are eligible
  to receive funding through the state commission.
• Separate funding is for capital investment and
  for other expenditure which is of a limited
  nature.
• Quite positive conditions to diversify the
  sources of university income since 1995.

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Public universities have right to

• possess assets and buildings,
• contract a loan,
• freely use their budgets with a view to
  fulfilling their statutory objectives,
• employ and release staff, determine the wage
  level of employees,
• decide upon the total number of students
  admitted,
• specify the rate of tuition fees for fee-based
  study places.
• Universities have extensive rights in using
  their property and in entrepreneurship, however,
  such activities must be related to the main
  activities of the university and necessary for
  achieving its teaching and research goals.

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Performance contracts since academic year 2009/10

• Estonian public funding of higher education
  studies has been contractual since 1995.
• The type of contracts has been slightly modified
  in 2002 and is being modified again in 2009.
• Since academic year 2009/10 three-year
  performance contracts are introduced. There are
  new negotiation and contract areas like
  statement of HEI-s mission, specific
  responsibility-areas, student support functions
  to be fulfilled and etc.

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Strengths of the current Estonian funding model

• Many aspects of current system embody good
  practice
• Autonomy for institutions
• Block grants for operating funds
• Contractual relationship between government and
  institutions
• Steering rather than control
• Private institutions operate and receive some
  public funding
• Excess demand has been absorbed by allowing
  institutions to enroll students outside the state
  subsidized education on a fee-paying basis
• Student loans available

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OECD recommendations on Students Finance

• Reform student support
• consider introduction of an income-contingent
  student loan facility
• over the longer-term, increase the coverage and
  value of grants for living costs.
• Introduce principle that all students should pay
  something for their studies and receive public
  subsidies.

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Impact of the financial crisis on HEI funding

• 1st annual budget cut in March 2009 included 3
  cut in public HE funding, but did not affect
  public funding for PhD-studies and research.
• 2nd budget cut in May 2009 is on the way with
  uncertain consequences.
• So far, we have witnessed only occasional reports
  concerning the increased interruption of studies
  because of loss of income by a student himself or
  his/her family.
• There are funding schemes elaborated to get
  universities to increase their involvement in
  continuing education of transversal and specific
  skills, designed to reach potential and actual
  unemployed educated persons.
• There may be mergers ahead, if not closures of
  smaller HEI-s.

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Example of using ESF Doctoral Schools 2006 - 2013

• Doctoral schools were launched in 2006 with the
  support of the EU structural funds. The DS is a
  cooperation project of three or more partners.
• Conducted surveys show that the creation of
  Doctoral Schools has helped to strengthen the
  training of top specialists in the selected
  fields of study. Important issues in financing
  have been resolved
• opportunities have been found to pay doctoral
  candidates partial salaries,
• better working conditions have been created,
• the primary costs incurred in acquiring work
  accessories and materials have been covered,
• the costs of summer, winter and other schools and
  conferences have been covered,
• the costs of attending foreign conferences have
  been covered,
• foreign tutors and lecturers have been paid for
  their work.
• Budget is up to 1,28 million EUR per doctoral
  school for 10-11 doctoral schools on period
  2007-2015

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Funding for HE from 2004 to 2009 (MoER)
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Thank you!