Participating in the ongoing global revolution in education

Can latest achievement in global education influence VET Kazakhstan? I do not know, but, I think, it makes sense to monitor latest tendencies and 2. reflect on ongoing issues in Kazakhstan.
The ongoing issue in VET Kazakhstan is that several hundrets of new teching materials will be purchased within the the State Investment Program. The question one might raise: how this ongoing process is aligned to the task of modernizing? Can it be made more efficient, cheaper and with a better input on learning outcomes, when we consider new developments?

And here is the new event: Flat world Knowledge, world's first publisher of commercial open-source college textbooks, received $8 million in venture capital. It wants to revolutionize the 8 billion US textbook market. Flat World's textbooks are written by well-paid, world-class authors. The new is the businss model: enter a mass market and charge for what the client is ready to pay. This will give a further push to the Open Source Movement.

What could it mean to VET Kazakhstan? Here is my wish list:
1. Publish the tender and the results on the internet. Today this is not the case. Lack of transparency increases transaction cost.
2. Require to put the content on the Internet as well. This can be done free-of-charge, required minimal efforts
3. Qualify the developers to use free-of-charge interactive web 2.0 elements, for example wikis, for improved peer review, better cooperation and communication.

Potential outcomes: higher-quality textbooks, which have better access by the community

Involved risks: existing tradition in copyrights, access to the internet, subject matter experts are notappropriate qualified for the internet.

Arguments against such an approach are: organizational culture, which avoids sharing and transparent decision-making; vested interests; ignorance; probably the most important factor is lack of knowledge about the possibility of the internet and open content

Role of the teacher: shifting from instructor-led training to networked learning

Jay Cross: The first wave of E-Learning failed because it aimed on replacing the human factor in learning within the framework of industrial society: «You cannot remove the humans from learning». While the nature of humans does not change, their behavior might change. New opportunities include learning at a time of need, in the context of work, from people in the know, and through virtual conversation. The teachers become «connectors, wiki gardeners, internal publicists, news anchors, and performance consultants». New digital competencies include

• bringing new members up to speed with the community’s technology

• identifying and spreading good technology practices

• supporting community experimentation

• assuring continuity across technology disruptions

• “keeping the lights on” (including back-ups, permissions, vendor payments, and domain registrations)

To a large extent, these requirements are utopia for secondary education in Kazakhstan. The reality are too often underpaid teachers near pension age, who do have for career and biological reasons other concerns than padagocial experiments. To a large extent, it was and it is their commitment and attitude that the VET system did not collapse. Thanks a lot! However, thinking ahead, there might be no more actual task than thinking about the teacher of the future. The life cycle of a teacher is around 10 years, including developing new univerisites and further education programmes, qualifiying teachers and gaining 2 -3 years of experience until a new teacher achieves becomes effective. This times correlates with internationale experience about the time required for changing a system like secondary education. The decisions which are made today will shape the system of tomorrow.  While it is not an issue of operative management, it is urgent!

Success factors in ICT integration

Tony Bates reviews Sangra A. (2008): The integration of Information and Communication Technologies in the university: models, problems and challenges

The analyses covers success factors for ICT integration in 16 univerisities world wide. It seems these factors do not differ significantly to secondary education.

1. embedment of ICT in a overall picture: «use of ICTs was sometimes part of a larger and often hidden agenda to bring about greater cultural change in institutions».

2. Strategic planning is a process: action is often a «bundle of initiatives as a part of smaller or larger projects but not necessarily related to a global strategy»

3. Wide variations in strategies and actions: change management strategies; shared, well disseminated vision and capable leadership; specialised, centralized support unit

4. Common problems: problems of organization, lack of funding, high-resistance to change from front-line staff.

VET Kazakhstan is on the right path to encourage the dialogue between professional education and business on the one hand and to address qualification on-site as the main tool to overcome resistance to change. An objective might be to achieve a crucial level in developing,  formulating and communicating a common vision, covering the realization of the State Investment Program 2008 - 2012.

21st century learning

The slogan "21st century learning" disseminates fast: a google research for 21st century learning gives 75 million results. Some of the efforts are backed by leading corporation, for others it seems that it is also used as a marketing tool. The main consensus about is a switch to creativey, collaboration and cooperation, use of ICT technology, the independent, self-paced learning. Without doubts, these ideas are important. In an ever faster changing world, the old paradigm are replaced with new approaches. "21 century learning" seems me still a bit empty, comparing, for example, to connectivism, but the concept behind is powerful.
The diagram provides an overview. It is clear, it is structured and it gives a fast understanding of the underlying issues. I like that it provides a good orientation.
Discussing modernization in VET Kazakhstan, these issues are not yet addressed. One official said to me "we are not yet there to address 21st century skills". He has an argument that there are indeed basic issues to be covered, having, for example, a basic physical and institutional infrasturcture in place. Before speaking about higher skills, there should be the possibility to enter the system. Ressources and attention are limited, in a first step the priority is in following the traditional path.
Indeed, as the sector is starved from investment over the last 15 years, this is an important argument.
Is there an alternative? Should new approaches be addressed? Should it be considered, decision-makers, administrators and teachers qualified? The answer is yes, of course. However, there are limiting resources and the real danger to focus on lighthouse projects, small ilands of excellence within a sea of low performance and inefficiencies.
The solution is to switch, step-by-step, the balance to a more advanced way of these new learning methods, to lower the risk for decision-makers by educating them, to addresse the issue, to create appropriate capacities for dealing with new challenges.

Competitiveness and VET

The Lisbon Strategy of the European Union aims to make the EU "the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world". It was set out by the European Council in March 2000. 

In 2005, Kazakhstan announced the objective to become one of 50 most competitive economies in the World. 

9 years after setting the Lisbon agenda and 4 years after the declaration of the Kazakh government the prelimary results are disappointing. Europa has lost competitiveness and is, nevertheless, fully involved in the current global financial and economic crisis. Kazakhstan has also lost on a wide range of factors, as a current issue of "Expert Kazakhstan" points out.  Accidentially or not, does this raises question whether official announced policies are able to do the job or whether they get used as covers for second agendas? I do not know. 

One success factor is clear: investment in the work force. Regarding VET, Kazakhstan is moving in the right direction. The sector was starving for ressources and attention since independence. We are now in the beginning of the modernization process. From this point of view, the results are no surprise. Unfortunately. 

THE MONITORING OF THE PROJECT: A STIMULUS FOR FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS

By key expert Lina Kaminkiene

In the last week of November, following the common practice for the EU funded projects, the monitoring group visited the project members in the Ministry of Education and Science and had a half day interviews with the team leader and short term experts, including key expert Ms. Lina Kaminskiene, coming for the mission for the first time. The aim of the monitoring is not only to check if the project is running in the right way in terms of time, planning, resources allocation, meeting the expectations of the beneficiary and other stakeholders, but also make the project team to reflect on the activities already performed and tasks achieved. Though the November monitoring group recommended to giving more attention to the planning activities, taking into consideration of a huge amount of work and activities planned for the two year project, however, was positively surprised for the amount of interim results and activities already accomplished by the project team:
- successful selection of pilot schools;
- a series of workshops and seminars for VET teachers and social partners aimed at capacity building development organised;
- analysis and results of the previous international projects identified and put on the project website;
- members of the VET Working group identified and guidelines of the role, functions of the Working group discussed in the forum;
- the major event, a forum with over 300 participants, involving all main VET stakeholders organised;
- successful dissemination of the project activities.

It was stressed for the members of the monitoring group that pilot schools from the South Kazakhstant participate for the first time in the international as well as EU funded project. This project opens for the pilot schools new possibilities in terms of capacities building, strengthening partnership with regional social partners as well as establishing new national and international contacts. The monitoring group members also investigated more on the principles, structure, functions, responsibilities of the VET Working group in agreement with the points added by the project team leader Stefan Siewert, that one of the main challenges for the project is to build the new concept of the quality of change in the VET system of the Republic of Kazakhstan through development of social partnership and cooperation. The upcoming challenges for the project team are related to formalization of the VET working group, more active involvement of social partners to the development of vocational standards, updating curriculum and development of demanding training programmes for VET stakeholders on national, regional and sector level.

VET and Business: Dialogue of partners

VET and Business: Dialogue of partners took part today. It is the most important event in VET after the start of the State program. Well organized, with more than 300 participants, the forum send some clear messages:

• Business is ready to participate and to work with VET: President Atameken Mr. Peruaschin
• We appreciate foreign experience and are eager to learn from abroad: Minister of Education and Science Tuimbayev (Give us a clear message)
• Ministry should not only supervise coordination of international projects, but lead their input (Manuela Prina, ETF)

I presented the recommendation of the joint seminar with international donor projects here.

Big thanks for all the organizers. We created momentum. The upcoming days will show whether the forum will transfer in a new trajectory of decision-making.

Discussion at "The Economist" (The search of smart concepts 2)

The economist started its first(!) online discussion with the following statement: This house believes the continuing introduction of new technologies and new media addes little to the quality of most education.

The results are sumarized in the picture. Most probably, if England, which has a leading position in E-Learning, comes up with these statement and results, the issue for an emergent economy like Kazakhstan is a clear yes. However, the discussion and the arguments are - to my knowledge - the richest resources for arguing and thinking on the issue.

The following statements seem me important:

• “The practical task facing ministers of education is to expand access to quality education as economically as possible. They want the same outcomes as Adam Smith's pin factory: higher volume, consistent quality, lower cost.”

• “Technology has underperformed because it is usually applied to help the teacher teach rather than to help the learner learn. The successful examples of technology involve the creation of learning systems that create a rich environment around the learner. Too often technology is simply used to pretty up teaching yet, as many contributors have noted, technology may increase the reach of a poor teacher but it will not improve the quality of their teaching.”

The limiting factor is education system and educational paradigm. This is true in developing countries; this is even truer in countries with less resources, capacities and experience for innovation.

1. Technology should clearly point what should be improved “instead of a vague assumption that technology will enhance teaching.”

2. Technology is better used to create new learning systems.

3. There is a quest for the magic medium, the ultimate technology that will revolutionize education. The task is to use them to create a world where education of quality is abundantly available. (The proposition's opening remarks).

As for now, examples prove that technology can ensure a quantum leap, but these examples are much limited to generalize and to make policy recommendation. The search continues…

Connecting for change: the new role of the educator

The CCK08 course from the university of Manitobu is an experiment with a enourmous flow on new thinking, concepts, reflecting.
I put special emphasis on all kind of schemes and this is one of them: it gives a good overview , as the complex relations a classified and visualized.
Even more importants might be 1o issues for change:
My top 10 takeaways. I made my homework and checked whether I fit in to these models and whether it makes sense to start thinking and adressing different issues.

1. Communities are the basis for change, and what they need more than anything now is excellent stewardship. Facilitators, please stand up.
2. The great value of networks is that they enable groups of people to organize, collaborate, do the work each is best at, and share the work needed to bring about the change, and then show others its value.
3. Change has to start with an identified need, not with a good idea. Generally, we only change when we must. Listen for needs.
4. We need to create safe places to explore and work on bold ideas. Skunkworks can often accomplish more than large amounts of funding.
5. Change, like great research, begins with asking important questions, and provoking respondents to self-change instead of trying to persuade or impose it.
6. To bring about change, be prepared to work with people, listen and understand what works and what is important for them, and engage them in ways they see value in and relate to. And be totally, brutally honest about what you don't know, aren't sure about, or difficulties in the path of desired change. And stay open to other ideas and concerns.
7. If you want to accomplish great change, give up the idea of getting the credit for it.
8. Experiment. The best, profound changes come from masses of iterative learning and exploration of possibilities.
9. Create the starting conditions for momentum, enthusiasm, sufficient resources, the right people, and don't worry about outcomes.
10. Make it easy. When you make it easier to change, to do the right thing, it will succeed more quickly and profoundly than if it requires a lot of work from every person.

The power of facts: and what?

I participated at a conference at the West-Kazakhstan Agriculture Technical University in Uralsk with my standard presentation about the challenges we are facing. The perception seemed to be nice. The next question is - as asked by Mr. Anderson from AMEC: so what? We understand that there is a challenge. The world around is moving faster and faster. We do not mind to participate. But how? Mr. Anderson asks for smart solutions. But even smart solutions need money, an infrastructure, management capacity etc. There should be an active response

The experience of EU8 countries in reforming VET

This article "Fiscal reform and Vocational Education in the EU8 countries" is about the experience of the EU 8 accession state in VET modernization. These 8 states do have a favourable сlimate for change in VET due to the EU accession process and the competitive pressure of neighboring rich EU-countries. Kazakhstan has the advantage of huge financial ressources and the experience of those countries. This waz, learning from the experience from EU8 countries might be a valuable lesson.
The strategic implication as researched in the article are about the convergence between general and vocational education. In general, Kazakhstan, moving to a 12 year school system, is in line with this. However, when modernizing VET, the focus might be on general skills - including the use of information and communication technology - in order to be cost-efficient and improve career potential of students.

Economic efficiency of further education

A landmark study into the economic impact of further education colleges has revealed that the contribution of past and present learners who have studied at the colleges over the past 15 years was approximately £28 billion in added income to the national economy in 2006/07 alone.
Highlights are:

• Learners who invest time and money in a Further Education College receive, on average, a 10% return on investment - better than the stock market
• The total socio-economic benefits and savings associated with the colleges yield an average of 8% return on investment to the UK government
• Compared to those with no formal education, workers with a Level 3 qualification receive 6,400 more in annul earnings, or about 196,400 pounds over the course of their career

These consideration should be taken into account for Kazakh VET as well. It is a benchmark, both for the necessary investment in order to create a modern VET system and its economic and social efficiency