Business Education time for a trial in a georgian reality

Nino Arveladze

Bergen Conference Ministers responsible for higher education in European countries established European Higher Education Area in May 2005.

It is based on three cycles ( it may have national framework of qualifications) where the levels have a double function: to prepare a student for the labour market and for further competence building. Ministers took the responsibility to work out national qualification structures for 2010 corresponding to main structure of European Higher Education Area and to start working on these issues from the year of 2007.

The first stage of education reform has more or less passed and completed. It has totally changed structure and system at Georgia’s higher education insinuations and schools. While talking on education reforms and Bologna Process we should determine the structure we are oriented to – either it is European or American. Peculiarities of routs according to departments at higher education institutions and improving qualification are worth noting. The document defining qualification was created at the ministry of education in 2005. it became a subject of discussions and critics. With the purpose of crating national qualification framework a working group was created last year. ‘Sakartvelos Ekonomika’ begins to discuss the above mentioned process and gives a way to a round table to a business group.
Emzar Jgerenaia, Professor, Qualification management service, Faculty of Economics and Business, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University;
– No one opposes necessity of education reform although methods, working plans and the ways of their implementation are criticized quite often. Bologna Process is the result of the countries that have challenges at education system. It is obvious that American system of education is more developed than the European one. That is why coordinated activities became so necessary. Frankly speaking business education reflects that most of all. We are talking about the era, where Bill Gates quits Harvard at his third year of studding and today he is the number one manager of the world. He has no academic degree. The same can be said about Michael Dell, even worse. He did not even graduate a college. Neither our neighboring Abramovich holds any academic degree. Still they all manage modern business. USD 5 billion owner Georgian Bidzina Ivanishvili has graduated Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Economics. He has a degree in labour Economics, although his knowledge in this specific sphere has not affected his high level business management. To cut it short, there is no direct dividing in name of business qualification and management quality.
One may have no education in the sphere of Business, but have high managing skills. The world still makes researches and tried to find out what kind of intellect it is: a gift from nature or an independent skill of brain generation. It is the hardest thing to define Qualification Frameworks in business.
Dimitri Japaridze, Professor
– A part of the specialists’ group believe that economics should be considered a part of social sciences and business should be distinguished from it and be independent. Instead of the list that used to be, business unites several specialties. On the basis of Minister’s order the list has sharply shortened. It was a progressive step forward fro sure. Unfairness in the system of education that lasted for the past 15 years has stopped and person’s specialty has been defined. A person should be proud of a received qualification. It is necessary to mane a united qualification list. A group is created that is working on the list of higher education institutions’ qualification recommendation , as it is absolutely important to define what should be written in Diploma. The main task of a group is to offer a society recommendation project of specialties.
Emzar Jgerenaia:
– The Committee’s work plays an important role in the system of education. Progressive changes have taken place on our Faculty lately. Curriculums are tonally changed. Presentations of new syllabuses are arranged annually, the list of subjects as well as curriculum structure and volume is improving. Syllabuses come to accordance with the Western analogues. There are serious attitudes regarding the formation of courses according to modules and programs. Education process of the faculty of Economics and Business has been improving by number of credits and new approaches. In spite of perfect programs, syllabuses, curriculums and modules the list of specialties are still limited. We have quite an interesting programs in MA, interesting curriculums in BA, but we still need a better, acceptable list of specialties that twill meet market needs. Creation of a qualification framework is of great importance for our department. This issue was quite actively discussed at department. Lost of senseless specialties have canceled. The project enables a student to choose a subject and make curriculum map himself. On the basis of the chosen cubiculum he/she will receive corresponding 240 credits for BA and 120 credits -for MA.
– What about higher education in Economics, is there any challenge due to which a certain group of people has deiced to create a project to reform this sphere?
Marina Qarchava, pro-rector – ESM (MA School of Economics)
– First of all let me mention, that the issue does not concern economic education only. System of higher education faces the corresponding curriculum creation challenge. The subject (what to teach) and the aim of teaching should be well defined. We’re moving to a market economy and we should create products according to its activity principles; there should be a demand on a product and it should sell. All systems should effectively work within market economy and all this concerns sphere of education as well – Preparing a product, a student in this case, that will meet employer’s demands on the market. Students should be given the education that has a demandable. Otherwise, the work provided by the education system will have no effect and a student will be equipped with the knowledge that no one needs.
– Can we say that nowadays student are given the knowledge that no one needs?
Marina Qarchava:
– Exactly. ESM from the very first day of its creation aimed to produce highly demandable product. There was a certain plan in Soviet system, with the determined number of specialist per higher education institutions. Although no one defined whether these specialists were needed or not. As a rule market determines the need of specialists. The above mentioned issue is quite problematic in our education system: On the one hand there is a product, with no demand; on the other hand there is a demand on market for certain goods that is not be produced now. There are few higher institutions like ESM of Caucasus School of Business that have realized market needs and supplied it with people of corresponding specialties. Still the number is small for Georgia. The problems are usually related to new specialties. I mean the sphere of business; economics s not a new sphere, it has certain inertia from the previous system of education and it’s task is to be transformed. From all the above mentioned we can conclude that a studding/ an education plan should be worked out in accordance with market needs. The same concerns all the other spheres: philology, biology etc;
Emzar Jgerenaia
– Talking on Soviet Standards seems to be useless. As for business sphere standards, they did not exist during soviet times at all; that is why quality management issue is connected to great difficulties on the department of Business. Soviet education standards regarding physics, chemistry, and cosmos were quite high. The fact that Moscow State University is the leading one by research components is a proof to the above mentioned statement. Anyway, there was no level of business teaching and we don’t even have bad inheritance in this respect. The hardest work while creating qualification frameworks exist in the sphere of business and economics. Unfortunately we are quite often captured by posh European words and have the following result: either everything depends on marketing or all is solved by management. National qualification framework will search an interval, middle point.

Marina Qarchava:
– All systems are characterized by standardization and creation of common measurable and understandable indicators to have an effect. An employer should know about skills and education of the employed graduate. A student should be informed about skills and abilities as well as education he/she will receive at a higher education institution. A product with a demand will be created. Knowledge standards should be formed. Old soviet time standards will be of no good today. Unfortunately quite a number of people do not fully understand what he/she will be and what is the position MBA graduate receives. While reading an application for a student should be able to ‘try the vacancy on’. Knowledge of a BA in business administration should correspond to the world’s BA’s Business Administration knowledge. It should be the same. It means that combination of standards should take place. BA should know the same thing, that an American, a German, or an English BA knows.
– Did a certain group decide to work out a project due to the above mentioned challenges?
– Yes, it is one of the requirements of an education system. A decision on being included in Bologna Process is made; one of the leading factors of the process is student’s mobility. It doesn’t only imply moving from one place to another. It means that a student moves from one country to another and the semester, block or module taken in a foreign / other country should be passed at his/her own university. accordingly out system of education should correspond to the systems included in Bologna Process. Standardization enables it. Thinking of national qualification framework creation is necessary due to Bologna Process mobility. There is European qualification framework determined in bologna process by countries participation. If you want your student ( a student from your country) to have the same rights within bologna process as other European student have, you should have the qualification framework like that of a European system. When a specialist graduates Georgian higher education institution, the rest of the world should well understand his/her degree after 4 years. The title should be familiar and the rest of the world should understand a degree. It created the need of national qualification framework.
– Does your group work on this issue?
– With the financial support of Eurasia Foundation and the ministry of education the project was worked out according to which national qualification framework should be created.
– How long has the project been formed and how does the process move on?
– I have been involved in it for 6 month. It operates as follows: first of all levels of professional education were defined, I mean two years of special education; then there are degrees – BA, MA and PhD or doctorate. Accordingly it is generally defined what are BA’s, MA’s and PhD’s skills. Georgian education system has three level of teaching. By the end of it a peros receives an academic degree. After finishing BA course a student should have a certain knowledge as well as general education. It’s not only his/her own specialty. A student should have general education typical for educated person. General and field parentage will be selected by a higher education institution. It is a matter of competitiveness. A person with a higher education should differ from the one with a secondary education. All the above mentioned issues are put in a general framework. A higher education institution willing to include Business administration in a program should choose and define curriculum from framework – recommendation document. I can tell you how ESM created a program. The same can be said on Caucasus Business School. We found partners, programs, curriculums and approaches abroad, even with the help of internet. Whatever is done in ESM now has been launched for 15 years. Our curriculums are oriented on employers and customers.
– How is an employer involved in the process?
– While making curriculums academic board researches employer’s needs. We are in close connection with business and we are well aware of what a specialist should know. It is possible that a student learned accounting by international standards but is not aware of Georgian peculiarities. In this case an employer gives us the core of a challenge, the main idea. Academic board decides what to teach. Curriculum can not be written once and stay the same for 15 years. Certain guidebook that will assist higher education institutions in creating curriculums should be created.
– How many specialists graduate ESM annually?
– Maximum 60 that is quite a small number. The project aims to work out national qualification framework and to turn it into a legal force at least for four spheres. Business, that covers lots of directions, has been selected together with psychological and social sciences, philology and natural sciences. Business was quite a narrow sphere and it became even more specific – Business Administration. The project aims to create effective curriculums on the basis of national qualification framework. the same documents will be useful for the other customer – an employer.
– How does an employer participate in creating national qualification framework?
– Three interested groups participated in National qualification of Business administration: representatives of higher education institutions, employers and graduates consisting of 10 people from the beginning. One of them was Mr. Lado Gurgenidze, due to known reasons he was automatically canceled from a group. Employers determine what a graduate should know, they are well aware of the duties and responsibilities for certain position. They know a lot about challenges and provide important information. We receive information on corporate world’s demands. Business is a practical useful sphere; therefore an employer is necessarily involved in it. Otherwise we would not get a product with a demand. Representatives of the following institutions work on the project: ESM, Caucasus School of Business, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and Ilia Chavchavadze State University. We try to gather experienced and competent people in working groups. We should work out a document, more or less understandable for interested groups in business education. I hope the project will serve as a recommendation and standards. State Service of Accreditation is interested in accrediting programs in Georgia. It will be a certain type of measure for them while estimating curriculums.
Emzar Jgerenaia:
– In my opinion higher education should have its own identity. Its also true that nowadays we are market oriented but we should confess that quite often even an employer doesn’t know what he/she needs in details. Modern business is quite dynamic, that is why higher education institutions should suggest the product that has not appeared on market yet but will definitely emerge in the future. We should prepare the specialist that will meet the world’s advanced systems.