No abstract

На підставі аналізу світового, європейського і національного досвіду розглянуто проблему підвищення конкурентоспроможності закладів вищої освіти України. Аргументовано, що досягнення університетської конкурентоспроможності потребує її моніторингу, мотивації, мобілізації сил і засобів, застосування відповідних механізмів. З’ясовано механізми, якими послуговуються прогресивні країни світу і Європи. Обґрунтовано невідкладні заходи із забезпечення конкурентоспроможності українських університетів.

The paper shows the high efficiency of the Shanghai University Ranking for assessing the top quality of higher education and identifying national strategies for the development of the highest university potential across the world in 2003–2021. The strengths of this rating, which make it the most perfect today, are objectivity, validity, probability, reliability, transparency, clarity, parametric expediency, top-university mission compliance. Its application makes it possible to find out the main modifications of the university strategy–2 (strategy for the development of higher education of the highest quality). The most groundbreaking were France’s strategic initiative to concentrate university resources by merging leading universities and China’s strategy to consolidate universities and to provide strong targeted support to leading institutions. Concomitantly, in Japan, the lack of a holistic national strategy has led to multiple losses for both world-class universities (in the top 500 group) and extra-class universities (in the top 30 group). Shanghai University Ranking showed an intensification of competition in the field of top higher education. The number of countries represented by universities in the top 30, top 100 and top 500 groups has increased. The US position has deteriorated, although it remains the world’s absolute university leader. The second place is occupied by the United Kingdom. France moved to third place. As stated by the Shanghai University Ranking, Ukraine is increasingly lagging behind the progress of higher education in the world, is not included in the list of 63 countries / territories of the general version and up to 93 countries / territories of the sectoral (54 academic subjects) version of the 2021 rating. Ukraine needs the urgent development and implementation of national strategy-2 for the development of higher education.

In the article the challenge of developing a quality profile of the national higher education is analysed, the causes of the problem occurrence and prospects for its solution are clarified. The problem is considered, primarily, in the aspect of finding out the best university practices both as a whole, and on subject areas that is important for competitive development. It is argued that in 1990-2019 the Ukrainian higher education grew quantitatively and chaotically with a simultaneous loss of competitive quality. As a result, the country has a fragmented and dispersed, over-duplicated, profile-inadequate, institutionally and resource-weak, researchpoor, and ultimately insufficiently capable to carry out its mission network of higher education institutions. Therefore, according to the ARWU rating, Ukraine is identified as a white spot in Europe, which does not fall into the list of 60 countries in the general version and 90 countries in the sectoral (subject) version of this rating. This situation is largely due to the lack of a system of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation, assurence and improvement the quality of higher education. In contrast to the best practices of progressive countries, Ukraine does not have developed classification, framework, association, and rating mechanisms. Accreditation mechanisms do not cope and in principle cannot cope with the systematic diagnosis and effective motivation of the quality of higher education in the entire range of quality – from the minimum threshold to the breakthrough most perfect. To form a benchmark and justify the way out of the crisis, the best world achievements are considered in detail, Ukraine and USA are compared. Based on the case of the standard Harvard University the determination of the profile of a university quality is illustrated. The definition of the category “higher education quality profile” is given.

The publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the state and development of national education over the 30 years of Ukraine’s independence, identifies current problems in education, ascertains the causes of their emergence, offers scientifically reasoned ways to modernise domestic education in the context of globalisation, European integration, innovative development, and national self-identification. Designed for legislators, state officials, education institutions leaders, teaching and academic staff, the general public, all those who seek to increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian education in the context of civilisation changes.