Canadian e-Magazine of
International Education

Home · Other Countries

Higher education in Mongolia is experiencing rapid growth and change. The adoption of the first Education Act in 1991 and the subsequent laws passed in 1995 have brought greater diversity and flexibility in academic programs and contributed to the recognition of Mongolian qualifications overseas. Institutional autonomy or devolution of authority from the government to institutions enabled direct relationships between national and international universities, universities and foreign businesses, universities and foundations, and individuals.

Enrolments in private higher education institutions have tripled since 1995, and there have also been large enrolment increases in public sector institutions. Around 30,000 students enter Mongolian universities and colleges every year (Ministry of Sciences, Education and Culture, 2003). Of these, 60 percent enter public institutions, 35 percent enter private institutions, and the remaining students enter foreign institutions operating in Mongolia. There are no statistics showing how many students go abroad to obtain higher education degrees (MOSEC, 2000-04).

There has been an expansion of private higher education providers and rapid growth in the number of nontraditional providers of education offering predominantly foreign languages, business courses and nondegree programs. By 2003, there were 185 public and private higher education institutions, of which 42 were accredited. Fifty-nine percent of all students were enrolled in accredited institutions of higher education (MOSEC, 2003).

Government Policy

The government’s open-door policy has provided a solid foundation for investment by foreign education suppliers, and this aspect of higher education has grown since 1991. The first foreign institutions were branches of Russian universities. In the late 1990s, Korean universities started setting up branches. From the U.S.A., the University of Colorado set up a branch in Ulaanbaatar.

The government has given due attention to institutional capacity-building through human resource development. Master’s programs for human development and higher education were prepared at the beginning of the 1990s and several programs were implemented with the support of international agencies. The government started sending undergraduate students to overseas universities through bilateral government agreements.

By 2003, around 1,000 undergraduates were studying overseas through such agreements (MOSEC, 2003). Between 2000 and 2004, 304 people were studying at the graduate level, through intergovernmental agreements, in Russia, the Czech Republic, India, Turkey, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

Donor assistance in higher education rose during 1990-2000, but it has stagnated since then. The primary focus of the assistance was developing strategic directions in the education sector, privatization, management, curriculum and teaching methodology, and human resource development. Between 1990 and 2000, forty-nine projects for development were implemented by international organizations and foreign government international agencies.

University Strategies for Internationalization

Globalization has forced Mongolian universities to prepare ‘graduates who are internationally knowledgeable and interculturally competent’. At the beginning of the 21st century, academic and scientific rationales for internationalization have become more dominant than income generation. The universities have been continuously seeking new ways of providing international opportunities for their students and faculty. Significant progress has been achieved, including establishing offices responsible for international relations and student exchange, significant increase in budget allocated to international activities (travel, exchange, agreements, conferences, etc.) and awareness of the benefits and importance of internationalization by deans and faculty members.

The universities of Mongolia perceive internationalization as comprising a number of elements: international curriculum (joint programs between local and foreign universities, programs in English and for foreign students); research collaboration (research between scholars of different countries, joint publication, publication in international journals, participation in and organization of international conferences, attracting foreign scholars to work in Mongolia and research work of Mongolian scholars overseas); exchange of students and faculty; service to international students and faculty members through the office or department responsible for international affairs; development projects and donations (attracting external financial sources in order to improve facilities); promotion and public relations; and other activities such as joint voluntary activities and cultural programs.

The following would be considered key indicators of success for internationalization: growth in the number of partner universities; participation in regional networks such as University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP); publication by staff in international journals and in English; better and wider service to foreign students, from first inquiry to graduation; constancy of foreign aid and donations; growing interest and visits by foreign scholars and guests; diverse foreign faculty members; increase in the number of international students; and growth of student/faculty exchange (sending and receiving).

National University of Mongolia

New Challenges to Building Programs with an International Dimension

Traditional Programs

At the National University of Mongolia (NUM), the School of Foreign Languages and Culture focuses on developing scholarship in language and country studies (Japanese, Korean, French, American and British studies, Slavic, Chinese, German, Spanish and Italian). In the School of Foreign Services, students learn about international relations and world economics. The main goals of these programs, besides preparing language teachers and diplomats, are to foster the knowledge and skills required to better understand cultural difference and to produce graduates competent to work in a multicultural environment in and outside of Mongolia. The NUM also offers courses in world history, international business and economics, law and geography. These help students become better prepared to engage with the contemporary challenges of the world, such as migration.

New Initiatives

Mongolian universities have implemented some new initiatives towards academic program diversification and flexibility. These include joint and sandwich programs with a foreign university and programs in foreign languages. The NUM has started an MBA with La Trobe University in Australia. The major challenge for the program is recruitment. The MBA is considered expensive and the government is reluctant to provide aid to students in joint programs. A sandwich program allows students to attend some courses in a host university and complete the degree program at the home university. This type of program is similar to an exchange program in terms of course matching and credit transfer.

Currently, the Master’s in Environmental Studies allows NUM students to spend 25 percent of their study period in Germany (Free University of Berlin) or China (Lanzhou University).

Student Mobility Programs

Innovative forms of education, such as branch campuses and educational ‘franchising’, have greatly expanded opportunities for students to study outside their country of origin. Several factors influence this growth: the limited capacity of Mongolian institutions to meet the demand for postgraduate education; growing competition for the best Mongolian students among foreign universities; aggressive recruitment and marketing policy of foreign institutions; and increasing awareness of quality education and opportunity for better employment after graduation through international study.

While Germany and Russia have always been well-established destinations for Mongolian students, the USA, UK, Japan, Korea, Singapore and China are rapidly gaining a market share. Management economics, law, international relations, language and information technology are still in high demand by Mongolian students. Engineering and technology are becoming attractive due to scholarship opportunities and less competition for funding.

The presence of international students and faculty from abroad through mobility programs enriches the learning environment for Mongolian students by bringing a diversity of languages, cultures and perspectives to the classroom, thus providing more international knowledge and intercultural experiences to Mongolian students who do not have an opportunity to study abroad. It also bolsters perspectives on foreign countries that are different from newspaper headlines and TV programs. Student activities promote social equality and facilitate better mutual understanding, as well as the preservation, protection and development of different cultures and traditions. Through these activities young people become able to express their commitment to peace, friendship, reconciliation and trust among peoples.

Study-abroad opportunities for Mongolian students help produce university graduates with global scientific knowledge and intercultural skills that they need to live and work in a globalized environment.

Exchange students report that living with host families or foreign students has tremendous benefits and make them adjustable to a new environment.

The university’s international relations also lay the foundation for the recognition of Mongolian higher education. University academic and research programs become more globalized. Through work with scholars, researchers, academics and government officials from other countries, Mongolia can integrate into the global scientific community, and project the nation’s culture and values abroad. International university networks and experience can also offer strategic support to Mongolian businesses seeking partnerships abroad or to foreign investors who wish to do business in Mongolia.

The NUM faces several difficulties in promoting student mobility. The very low average income of Mongolian families — some US$80 per month — means that Mongolian students need financial support to study and live abroad. At the same time, our universities have difficulties providing equal opportunities to students from partner institutions (dormitory, travel grants, living expenses, etc.). There is no formal regulation or coordination to implement credit transfer, both in terms of Mongolian students’ qualifications for attending foreign universities, and in terms of receiving credit for work done abroad. At the same time, there are problems in assessing quality and measuring the outcomes for students.

The perceived lower quality of Mongolian universities is a particular problem. Very few of our courses are offered in languages other than Mongolian, and this deters students from coming. We are trying to develop special tailor-made curricula for foreign students, but we do not have much experience in teaching foreign students and lack the marketing skills to recruit them. This leads to problems in maintaining the principle of reciprocity, as more Mongolian students want to go abroad than foreign students come to Mongolia. Finally, experience has shown that there are problems with inclusion for minority group students.

Part II continues in the next issue

Author's Information

Sodnomtseren Altantsetseg is Head of the Office for International Affairs at the National University of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar. She was a Hubert H. Humphrey fellow and visiting scholar to Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A. (2005-06) and is now a doctoral student at the NUM. Her research focuses on public sector reform, globalization and higher education and strategic management. Altantsetseg has conducted research on internationalization of higher education institutions in Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The research was funded by Toyota Foundation in Japan. Besides her duties at the NUM, Altantsetseg works and provides advice for several research and consulting organizations: Asia Research Center, Global Reach Center and Network of International Education Administrators and Scholars of Central and Inner Asian Universities.

Comments:

© 2007 York University

Login
• | RSS Articles
• | RSS Pages
• | RSS Comments
• | RSS Comments for this article