Economic strength of Education system and itS competitiveness

Economic strength of Education system and itS competitiveness

Ongoing systemic reforms in the education system guarantees future economic strength and competitiveness of a country. To take a proper place in a global economy Georgia should maintain the rise of professionalism of professors and pedagogues.

Major principles of reform – to have a new, better and optimal system – requires systemic analyses of a high school. Bases and essence of both: new and old models should be well determined.
Existing economic, social and financial problems in the country makes a negative impact on academic staff management and funding new staff strategies.
According to staff preparing methodology, experience of developed countries and Georgia do not essentially differ. This points that there are certain objective regulations in the sphere of specialists’ preparation perspective planning.
Demand on higher education leads to corresponding changes in demographic structure of any country. Current conditions on a labor market have the ability to make a long term and strong effect on competitiveness of certain subjects, student selection and enrolment criteria. Demand on new academic personnel depends on the following various factors: professionalism in the system of education, internationalization, private sector development in the system of higher education. Alternatives, being faced as part of rising social demand, depend on wider state policy.
In case of reformed management of academic personnel certain regulating mechanisms should exist, that will balance relations between State and institution mechanisms. United half-year planning circles may be considered as this type of mechanism. Introduction of information technologies in higher education management and maintenance, deepening relationships between state and industry, intensive contacts between universities and society require more and more knowledge and experience from HR manager.
The role of academic personnel is changing. A professor will soon become similar of a manager- he/she should manage junior, assisting educational team and at the same time manage certain equipment and course materials. A student, after taking a certain diagnostic test, will have to take a personalized course that covers a collecting course materials, written information, sometimes attendance at lectures, individual consulting with professors and passing showing test. Government plays an important role in staff management changes, both in central planning and control and in self regulation systems. It is a well known fact that a ministry presented by the government or a certain buffering body in the sphere of a higher education system has a coordinating or a managing function and its task is to create a planning and management systems on the institutional level.
Higher educational institutions operate by means of self regulating system in many countries. Their function is to make expenditure plans, as staff expenditures have the biggest share in higher educational institutions. Institutes have to make important changes in their staff policy from time to time. Including: leaving vacant positions open (vacant), early pension systems, attracting less expensive staff often part time, giving extra hours to existing staff , increasing pedagogical staff.
Legal, administrative and organization systems, basis of staff management, are in close connection with the administrative specifics of the given country. Each country has its own system of authority on national, state, regional and institutional levels. The difference depends on the type of higher educational institutions and a number of private organizations. While managing staff it is of an utmost importance to define independence, authority and autonomy rates of each higher educational institution and its each faculty/department. New environment adaptation skills of an institute largely depends on staff motivation, introducing innovation, creating vacancies and new positions.
Countries like Latin America, institutes seldom have full time employed staff. They prefer part time and contract based employment, that has both its advantages and disadvantages. There is a general tendency of having more independence in staffing policy, although salary conditions should differ in accordance with an individual and collective working. In many countries they differentiate a basic salary and an additional salary for the special purposes like: scientific research management, administrative functions and etc. Each Institute and faculty/department is obliged to distribute different functions among their academic staff.
Forecasting the need of new staff is possible by means of number of obligatory learning hours and subjects, creating a pyramid showing age and qualification requirements that should also include possible number of students. This type of a pyramid enables to define the change of academic personnel. The information will support the staffing strategy that maintains timely estimation of personnel, sorting existing reserves leading to progressive evolution.
Defining learning duration is essential for teachers of all categories. Teachers at desired rates plus full time equivalents at part time teachers according to their categories and subjects that will enable to define university capacity, the level of meeting requirements of separate subjects or discipline.
Specific specialization of academic personnel does not enable them to work in other disciplines or in other fields of the same disciplines without adaptation. Deficit of pedagogic personnel should not be developed by means of exceeding other fields.
Age misbalance of staff remains a problem in different universities of the world. Each university has a time, especially when there is an increased flow of students, when employing new staff exceeds a usual level. Many countries have introduced so called New Blood schemes, that aims to regulate the age structure of academic personnel and to maintain wide opportunities to skilled young people in priority spheres of higher education. Age structure regulation is only possible if young scholars reserves exists and if it is possible to attract them by means of training programs and special preparation courses (for exhale assistant courses).
Countries that have worse working conditions and fewer salaries than others, have so called “brain flow” problem. Accordingly it is very important to introduce certain stimulating mechanisms that will enable keeping staff in higher education system. Among the encouraging stimuli we could name trainings, traveling abroad, sabbaticals etc. Systems and criteria of staff estimation has a great importance . They are able to fulfill two missions simultaneously: on the one hand encourage further improvement of University personnel, and on the other hand act as an effective tool for human resources management. Necessity of recommended changes should be clearly documented and proved. They presentation should be realized by means of wide and multilevel packages. Integrated character of University activity and management should be taken into consideration so that issues of funding, structural characteristics and outside pressure possibilities are also considered. The possibility of Universities’ positive attitudes towards changes increases. Environment makes certain impact on Universities by means of its funding sources and mechanisms. University independence depends on diverse funding. It gains more independence by moving from the resource depended system to a product depended system. Although the accountability increases in resources distribution.
Working estimation systems should be effectively used to reveal alternative financial strategies. This will enable the improvement of whole planning work of the university. The process of financial management, such as mobilization, distribution and usage of financial resources have improved and developed little by little. The budgetary system that manages activities by means of controlling issued resources moved and changed into liability on production or working results.
Higher education financial resources in variety of countries is considered to be not sufficient, and it is quite fair. In spite of it, its is till possible to improve conditions if existing resources are effectively used and managed.
Financial restrictions influence the number of positions as well.
Decentralization of financial planning enables the realization of university goals and objectives by means of the following issues: Working out strategic plans, implementation of information system, discussing alternative versions of expenditures, preparing optimal budget.
The goals and objectives are shown by means of working estimation indicators.
Therefore, analysis of funding sources and higher education system mechanisms enables to distribute sources and finances optimally and gives the opportunity to use them effectively.

References
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2. Sartania V., ‘Economy of Education’, Sulkhan Saba Orbeliani University edition. Tbilisi 2001
3. Tukhashvili M., ‘Labor Potential of Georgia’. TSU edition, Pg: 146-180. 1998
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5. Blair, R.; Jordan, J. Staff loss and retention at selected African universities. 1993.Vol.1. Harare, IRT/Speciss Consulting Services. In one vol
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