The Role of the State in the Higher Education Reforms in the Caucasus

Corruption, Coercion, and Strife for EHEA Standards

The article raises the issue of the role of state in the process of privatization, marketization and decentralization of education in the higher education of the Caucasus. The education policies conducted in this direction in the states of the Caucasus have been manifold distorted and abused in these transition countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This fact has frequently led to the cases of corruption, coercion, graft and unduly heavy interference and control of the education from the state. The western ideals of autonomy, independent decision-making, restructuring and revitalization of study programs, departments and research directions have been mainly misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misrealized in the Caucasian states. Though certain positive results have been engendered by some policies, the dire consequences of the overall process have been the deterioration of the education quality, decrease of access to higher education, the increased inequity in education opportunities of various SES students, and difficulties in meeting the Bologna requirements.