Perspectives of massification policy in higher education of Azerbaijan : challenges and opportunities

Abstract

On the eve of a new expansion policy of Azerbaijan’s higher education, there are numerous challenges and constrains along with its promising opportunities. While diversification of economy requires more graduates, it is worth examining to what extent higher education is ready to meet these challenges in terms of resources and successful applicants under the influence of rising global pressure. Acceleration of student migration, especially among those who perform poor in national university admission exams – usually they find a refuge in poor quality universities of neighbouring countries, is another push for the government for expansion – to provide more places at local higher education institutions.

However, a simple expansion strategy is not a cure in itself, it requires fundamental changes in traditional way of managing higher education: to provide additional funding for mass student enrolment, to lead structural reorganization in governance of expanded institutions; to deter decreasing quality of education, to create relevant employment opportunity for mass graduates etc. Another reason that makes massification policy more complicated in Azerbaijan case is that an expansion strategy happens almost simultaneously when government tries to reform soviet model higher education. So, along with constrains and limitations, opportunities and resources have to be studied well before leading to mass expansion of higher education not to face unexpected consequences. In that context changing steering core from government to market-centred model, diversifying higher education, and promoting entrepreneurial university model are proposed to consider as significant strategy for restructuring higher education before leading to expansion policy in higher education of Azerbaijan. Therefore, it is being emphasized that expansion of higher education is needed to be designed in a way to achieve productive institution performance in terms of efficacy and quality and stimulating diversification of economy, as well as rational spending of government funding to provide mass and equal access opportunity to higher education, bur not leading to rising unemployment of qualified graduates.