PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION OF UKRAINE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION
УДК 339.924(47775)
Фінагіна С.Р., студентка 2 курсу
ХНЕУ ім. С. Кузнеця
The process of European integration of Ukraine provides for the necessary changes in various areas of society, in particular, in the field of education, the transformation of which should be carried out in several directions: 1) the gradual introduction of European norms and standards in order to increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian specialists in the Ukrainian and European labor markets; 2) maintaining the best traditions and improving the quality of the national education system; 3) the study of professions necessary for full development of not only a single country, but also of mankind as a whole [1].
The process of transformation and the formation of a modern system of vocational education is influenced by various factors, such as the available material and technical resources; knowledge accumulated in society; historical, cultural and geographical features. An integral part of the integration is the possibility of obtaining higher education in other countries.
Today, the number of students receiving education in the European Union is rapidly increasing, which is also determined by the initiative of the European Community (European Community) which contributes to increasing the mobility of young people in Europe.
The national doctrine of the development of education defines the following tasks: the entry of domestic education into the market of world educational services, the deepening of international cooperation, the expansion of the participation of educational institutions, scientists, teachers and students in projects of international organizations and communities [2].
An important step for integration into the European space has been the spread to Ukraine since 1993 of the Tempus program, which contributes to the modernization of the higher education system and provides funding to encourage interaction and balanced cooperation between higher education institutions in partner countries and in the member countries of the European Union.
Thus, some higher educational institutions managed to establish and develop productive cooperation with universities in Western and Central Europe, to gain useful management experience in the field of science and education, to become participants in various educational projects on a long-term basis. However, it should be noted that such a partnership of domestic Eastern European military institutions is often asymmetrical, since the partner countries are expected to contribute more than can be offered by Ukraine. Against this background, one of the instruments for the integration of our country into Europe is the accession to the Bologna process.
Although a number of internal reforms are needed to move to a higher level of relations with the countries of the European Union, openness to the outside world of European higher education reform defines a relatively simplified algorithm for joining it, which does not require very strict compliance with economic, social or political criteria. Ukraine, as a full participant in the Bologna process, should take significant steps in adjusting the state policy in the field of education to meet its requirements and goals. The priorities are the following tasks:
- to form the society that learns throughout life, the creation of positive conditions for the motivation of individual development of the individual;
- to form a system of control over the quality of education;
- to form national and universal values, increasing the role of education and professional self-realization in the development of society;
- continuous improving the quality of education by updating its content and forms of organization of the educational process;
- providing economic and social guarantees for teachers, improving their social status;
- material support for vocational schools and educational projects.
The European Commission (EC) is willing to expand cooperation with Ukraine, offering in the near future to reach a level of closer partnership in the field of science and technology. On July 14, 2007, the European Commission approved a new generation of grant programs for the period 2007–2013 in areas such as education, training, culture, youth and citizenship.
The new cycle of the Lifelong Learning Programs 2007–2013 includes 4 sector’s programs: school education (Comenius), higher education (Erasmus), vocational training (Leonardo da Vinci), adult education (Grundtvig) and transversally the program, which focuses on political cooperation, languages, information and communication technologies and the dissemination and use of results. The program cycle budget amounts to 6.97 million Euros for the period 2007–2013 [3].
The goal of the Erasmus program, which is also known as the European Community Action Plan for University Student Mobility, is to support academic mobility of students and university professors.
- Comenius focuses on the first period of education and is addressed to all members of the educational community: students, teachers, as well as local authorities, parent associations and non-governmental organizations.
- Leonardo da Vinci plays an important role in preparing European citizens to enter the labor market, thereby reducing unemployment.
- Grundtvig aims to meet the educational needs of adults. In particular, its goal is to meet the learning requirements of an aging population and provide ways to improve adult knowledge and skills.
The educational program Erasmus Mundus is designed for countries outside the European Union. It aims to strengthen cooperation and international relations in the field of higher education through the support of high-quality European Masters courses, providing students from all over the world with the opportunity to get a master’s degree at a European University, as well as through encouraging travel of European students and teachers to non-EU countries. The priority of the program is to improve the quality and attractiveness of European higher education throughout the world [4].
Thus, the development of international cooperation is quite a relevant topic for Ukraine in the context of European integration in the field of education, which is one of the determining factors in the reproduction of the intellectual and productive forces of society.
The cooperation of Ukraine and the European Union in the field of higher education, built in the mode of borrowing advanced achievements of the European education system and their creative adaptation to the specific socio-economic and cultural conditions of modern Ukraine, opens up favorable prospects for improving the competitiveness and practical value of Ukrainian higher education. Building a modern and balanced in all respects higher education system will not only ensure the growth of the country’s human resources, but will make a fundamental contribution to the development of the spiritual culture of society.
REFERENCES
Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education” dated January 17, 2002 No. 2984-ІІІ.
EU enlargement to the East: prerequisites, problems, consequences. – M.: Science, 2003. – Pp. 292–296.
Hoffmann L. Ukraine on the way to Europe / L. Hoffmann, F. Müllers. – K.: Fenix, 2001. – 343 p.
Науковий керівник
старший викладач Черниш Л.М.