As mentioned, the entire process of curricula preparation and revision was originally managed exclusively by State organizations, with strong centralized control. No external stakeholders were permitted to be part of the process, and students were formally invited to be represented by their official delegates, but had no real power.
This centralized system of curricula development and decision-making reflected the structure of the country's economy during the Soviet time. The higher education (HE) system in forestry was designed to be part of the "wood chain", e.g. to produce specialists for each stage or "unit" of timber production. As such, the programs and institutions were organized in rigid and separate sections (see Fig 6, example of the USUFWT organizational structure). The Soviet government gave the HE system a mandate to prepare professionals according to the projected needs of the centrally planned economy. "The education system used to be extremely well-adapted to the demands of the existing administrative and political system, and it was of a certain success, especially in terms of training the country's military and industrial complex experts" (Ministry of Education, 1998).
Following independence in 1991, a new higher education system was gradually introduced that was based on new legislation and methodologies, in compliance with Article 53 of the Constitution25 and basic education law26.
The key points, which have been introduced by the reform,27 can be summarized as follows:
One of the most relevant innovations in course structures was the introduction of a new system based on the stages presented in Figure 4. The graph shows each level of education as part of the overall pathway in the academic career toward Doctor of Science, yet each level provides direct access to the labour market. The numbers in each cell refer to the years of study for each level.
Bachelor's degree: This qualification level is designed to prepare experts on the basis of a multidisciplinary curricula oriented both to fundamental and professional subjects . It lasts no longer than four academic years.
Specialist post-graduate courses: This is for students who already hold a Bachelor's degree yet seek in-depth specialized knowledge with a clear professional orientation. It lasts no longer than one academic year.
Master of Science degree: This newly introduced program level is again for those who hold a Bachelor's degree. It offers students a combination of sound theoretical background and a high level of professional preparation and lasts no longer than one-and-one-half academic years.
Ph.D. and Doctorate: This program is offered as an introduction to research and university teaching careers and is available only upon selective admission tests.
Figure 4: Higher education system in Ukraine
The first two levels (B.Sc. and Specialist) are offered at many forestry colleges (see following section)28, while programs for M.Sc., Ph.D. and doctorate degrees are available at only three main HE forestry institutions (see Figure 3).
According to ministerial statements (1998), the goal of HE recent reforms is to provide the country with a more flexible higher education system while maintaining rigorous quality control by State-defined standards. The objectives are to achieve higher teaching standards and to meet new social and labour demands. The MSE defines the higher education standards as obligatory for any teaching subject29.
The process of defining the overall structure of study courses has three main components: State; sector and higher education institutions.
1. The State component is governed by the MSE at a national level and includes the following sections:
2. The sector component, which meets nation-wide standards, includes the following sections:
3. The higher education institution component, which is directly managed at the local level (universities), includes the following sections:
The definition of sector component is rather complex and involves many different stages, as illustrated by Figure 5. At the first stage, the Directorate of Higher Education of the MSE defines the professional profiles and the corresponding standards (directions). This preparatory phase is implemented by an Educational and Methodology Commission for each of the main courses (e.g. forestry). Each commission consists of academics and university teachers only and, for each course, is based in a different institution (e.g. for forestry it is located at the Ukrainian State University of Forestry and Wood Technology, L'viv).
The commission is subdivided into several sections, each of them dealing with a particular course subject or speciality (e.g. forest mensuration), for which an individual standard education plan31 is produced. These proposed plans are then submitted (step 2 of Figure 5) to the Scientific and Methodological Committee32, which reviews them from an educational perspective. The entire work is then finalized in the Educational and Professional Programme33.
The Programme then proceeds to the MSE (step 3) for additional review and, as a further step, to each certified higher education institution (step 4). The institution must compile a detailed study plan for each speciality based on the Programme (the range of subjects often depends on the available teaching staff). It must also consider the amount of time required to teach each speciality and course (i.e. "the training volume"). The study plan must then be submitted once more to the MSE for final approval (steps 5,6 and 7).
Figure 5: Main institutions involved in the curricula definition and revision
When the study plan is finally approved it is then implemented by the HE institutions as a study course that must include the following components:
Each of these components must be taught for a fixed number of teaching hours; the overall amount is translated into a credit system34. A ministerial commission regularly checks that each certified institution is running the course effectively.
The Ukrainian State University of Forestry and Wood Technology (USUFWT)
The first institution offering courses and research in forestry was created in L'viv in 1874, as a regional forestry school. It later developed into the Polytechnic and Agricultural Institute and then into the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry within the Ukrainian University. In 1945, it is renamed the Institute of Forestry and Wood Technology before becoming the Ukrainian State University of Forestry and Wood Technology (USUFWT), in 1993.
Teaching and research activities are carried out by 350 scientists, including 32 Doctors of Science and 212 Candidates of Science. Technical staff amounts to 300 people, and there are 750 administrative personnel. The MSE defines the number of students that can enter the University each year. Applicants must pass an entry test and, once admitted, receive a monthly scholarship stipend. According to recent reform, the University can now accept self-funded students, up to a maximum of 20 percent of the total amount offered annually by the State. Until a few years ago, the State could ensure employment in public forest administration or woodworking enterprises for about 60 percent of graduates.
Currently, the USUFWT enrolls totally some 4 000 students (including 2 300 full-time students and some 1 600 extra-mural students). Students are distributed within the four faculties of economics, forestry, mechanization and logging engineering, and woodworking technology (see Figure 6). There are also two service units (one for preliminary studies and post-graduate courses, and the other for extra-mural teaching activities) and six autonomous departments.
In 1994, the USUFWT became a member of the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO). In connection with the implementation of the TEMPUS TACIS `ENARECO' (Environmental and Natural Resources Economics) project, cooperative relationships have been established with universities in Freiburg (Germany), Gent (Belgium) and Padova (Italy). The USUFWT also maintains good contacts with the European Forest Institute (EFI) in Joensuu (Finland). These contacts enhance the research and works produced at the University, and improve communication and cooperation with other international universities both within and outside of Eastern Europe.
Figure 6: The Ukrainian State University of Forestry and Wood Technology
The USUFWT has recently been involved in initiating a broad scientific-technical program to develop the Ukrainian forestry sector. The goal is to improve forestry education and science. Preliminary documents defining the future national program (referred to as "Lis") have been prepared with the support of the State Committee on Science and Technologies of Ukraine, the Ukrainian State Committee on Forestry, and the administrative committee of the National Academy of Sciences.
The USUFWT is now at the crossroads of a new stage of development and faces many problems. The most immediate is the lack of adequate financing, primarily due to a prolonged stagnation of the Ukrainian economy. Among other urgent problems is the ongoing curricula reform, which must reflect the changes encountered during transition to a market economy. In addition, Ukraine must meet international standards in scientific research and teaching. This should be accomplished more easily with increased mobility and open communication among teachers and students with foreign universities.
Within the traditional structure of the USUFWT, the Faculty of Economics35 represents an unusual research and teaching unit. More so than other departments, it is attempting to introduce innovations related to the market economy and international exchange.
The University facilities include a botanical garden, the forest reserve Roztochya and the Stradch Training and Research Centre. The recently created business enterprise, Abies, is providing USUFWT with new opportunities for practical training and applied research. In addition, it also provides a secondary financing source for students.
The National Agricultural University of Ukraine (NAUU) is located in Kyiv.. The College of Forestry is one of the oldest departments at NAUU and was established as the Institute of Agriculture at Marymont, near Warsaw, in 1816. In 1840, the Marymont Institute of Agriculture was united with the Warsaw Forestry School to become the Institute of Agriculture and Forestry. The Institute was transferred to the city of Novooleksandriya36 in 1916. At the beginning of the World War I, the Novooleksandriyskyi Institute was evacuated to Kharkiv, and in 1921 it was re-established as the Kharkiv Agricultural Institute, which included the College of Forestry.
In 1926, the Ukrainian government constructed new buildings for the agricultural and forestry institutes in the historical region of Golosievo, in Kyiv, and the College of Forestry of the Kharkiv Agricultural Institute moved there in 1930. Both the College of Forestry and the College of Forest Engineering at the Kyiv Agricultural Institute (established in 1922) were reorganized into the Ukrainian Forest Technological Institute.
During this period, the fields of botany, dendrology, harvesting and forest management gained recognition as research and teaching subjects. Consequently, the Institute was reorganized into four departments: forestry, forest-operation, timber-mechanical technology, and forestry chemistry. At the time, each department not only had a strong professorial and teaching staff, but also a well-equipped scientific, training and educational program. Field activities were successfully implemented at the Boyarka Experimental Station37.
In the summer of 1941, the Institute was evacuated because of World War II. It was reopened soon after the liberation of Kyiv in 1944, and lectures resumed in semi-destroyed classrooms. The most recent period of activity for the College of Forestry began in 1954 when several institutes located in Golosievo were reorganized into the Ukrainian Agricultural Academy. This was later renamed the National Agricultural University of Ukraine in 1995.
Currently, the University has 560 full-time students and 460 enrolled in a correspondence course (interestingly, the majority come from families already working in the forestry sector). Some 200 of these students are studying under contracts with forestry enterprises38. The academic staff presently consists of 50 scientists and lecturers, nine professors and 37 assistants. A specific academic council has been established to deal with the doctoral thesis in forestry. The College of Forestry consists of the following seven departments.
Research also plays an important role. Recent areas of scientific investigation include:
The College works closely with other national and international higher education institutions in forestry, such as the USUFWT in L'viv, Moscow State Forestry University, Byelorussian State Technological Institute, the forestry institutes of Bryansk, Voronezh and Yekaterinburg, Forestry Engineering Academy (St. Petersburg), Lithuanian Agricultural Academy and others.
In addition, scientific institutions in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, USA and Austria are major Western partners. In particular, college teaching staff has developed curricula and programs for training undergraduates, post-graduates and specialists together with the Forestry Department at Iowa University (USA). The specialists are being trained in forestry management, urban forestry, hunting management, forest amelioration, forest resource management and forest economics. Practical placement for students in training, as well as specific exchange programs, are organized in cooperation with other Ukrainian research institutes39.
Additional collaboration and joint working and research programs in specific subjects are constantly implemented, including exchange of education and methods materials, as well as textbook preparation.
The College operates directly in cooperation with the Boyarka Forestry Experimental Station40, established in 1925. A significant number of hybrid oak-trees for forestry and gardening have been grown, and more than ten exotic oak trees are being tested currently. The station is also equipped with special plots to experiment with plant genetic amelioration.
The National Agriculture University also includes the Botanical Garden, founded in 1938. The forestry nursery, previously located at the Golosiyiv Forestry, served as its model. Some 623 taxa are represented within its total 24.5 ha, including 9.5 ha of arboretum and 15.0 ha of dendropark. The garden, managed by the Department of Dendrology and Landscape Architecture, plays an important scientific role as a basis for the introduction and acclimatization of new plants, for genetic selection, and for garden and park design.
In addition to the two universities mentioned above, there is another higher education institution in Kharkiv that offers courses for acquiring a Bachelor's degree.
It should be mentioned that a specific initiative was recently initiated to respond to the globalization of forestry education needs. The National Agricultural University (in 1998) and the Ukrainian State University of Forestry and Wood Technology (in 1999) jointly created a university consortium entitled: "Agroeducation for the Third Millennium". The consortium, which includes universities, institutes and faculties devoted to agriculture and forestry education, addresses specific forestry issues. Its main goals are to introduce the most advanced educational methods and to foster the use of new technologies in the primary sector.
25 which represents every citizen's right to get education.
26 approved by Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) in 1996.
27 designed in the draft laws "On comprehensive Education" and "On Higher Education".
28 A list of specializations (qualifications) , and corresponding teaching units , to cover the main forestry topics is defined by the Decree nr.507 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Section 13, entitled "Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery". In its fourth paragraph, four different B.Sc. are defined as follows: forestry, parks and orchards, agro-forestry amelioration, hunting.
29 The State standards are based on the fundamental law of Ukraine "On Education" and the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1247, of 7 August 1998, "On drafting state standards of higher education".
30 The Educational and Professional Program is composed of the following: normative part, consisting of the legislative frames; recommended list of courses, and the corresponding number of hours per course; legal duration of the courses; and, forms of State control and accreditation.
31 The first document summarizes the contents of each speciality by defining each professional profile as it corresponds to predicted labour needs. The constancy role of the SMC is designed to provide a scientific and professional input in order to better define the list of the necessary courses to get a proper professional profile, taking into consideration the requests of the labour market. Stakeholders from the labour and professional bodies are invited to be part of this planning step.
32 The Scientific and Methodological Committee is an independent unit (located in Kiev) and primarily composed by educational and methodology scientists.
33 The Educational and Professional Programme defines the normative part of the education's contents, sets the requirement to contents, volume and level of experts' educational and professional training. This programme is aimed to be used by the HEIs management bodies to finalise their internal programmes.
34 Each credit corresponds to 54 academic hours.
35 The Faculty consists of six departments: (1) economics and management of forest enterprises; (2) economics and management of woodworking enterprises; (3) economic theory; (4) mathematics; (5) accounting, auditing and marketing; (6) foreign economic relations (the most recently created department).
Seventy-five teachers and researchers work at the Faculty with 450 enrolled students. As in the other three Faculties, the governing body is the Faculty Council, which also supports the Council for Methodological, Educational and Publishing Activities that deals with more specific problems.
The course content is mainly aimed at preparing students with a broad knowledge of economic, accounting and marketing problems so that they can work as professionals in forestry and woodworking industries. In defining the new curricula, attention has been given to environmental economics and foreign trade of wood products. No attention has been given the management of small-scale forest enterprises.
Indeed, most of the employment opportunities are limited to State enterprises or institutions, but there is an increasing demand for well-trained economists in the private timber industry.
Students from both the bachelor and advanced study courses are offered a two-level specialization option; the first level (speciality) includes three areas: enterprise management, accounting and auditing, and marketing. The second level (specialization) refers to the two types of enterprises: forestry and woodworking. As a result of this organization, a range of six different curricula are provided both for the bachelor and the advanced courses.
36 The famous forest scientist, Prof V.V. Dokuchaev, worked as the head of the Novooleksandryisky Institute from 1892 to 1895.
37 In 1941 there were 680 students studying at the College and 65 lecturers, including 12 professors and 19 assistant professors.
38 During the past 50 years, about 9 500 specialists of forestry and park-management have graduated from the College, and the dissertations of some 256 candidates and 41 doctoral candidates have been defended here.
39 These include: the Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Forest Melioration, the Ukrainian Institute of Mountain Forestry, the Research Economic Institute of the Ministry of Economy of Ukrainethe Department of Forest Resources, the Central Botanical Gardens of the NAS of Ukraine, numerous forestry experimental stations and project establishments.
40 Boyarka Forestry Experimental Station is situated in the Southern part of the Polissya, bordering the forest-steppe zone. The entire forested area of the Station is 8 000 ha; wide-band forest tracts (22 isolated terrain features) have been located along the Irpen River. These tracts play a major role in field and soil protection, water protection and water control, sanitation, hygienics and aesthetics.
There are more than 50 species of trees and bushes successfully growing at Boyarka FES. Fifteen exotic species have been introduced.
