Enforcement of student-centered approach in the Ukrainian legislation on higher education

Abstract

The focus on the development of student-centered learning and teaching in higher education has increased considerably in the course of the recent years. This has been reflected in many documents of the European Higher Education Area and become an impetus for the establishment of relevant norms in Ukrainian legislation. The development of the concept of educational leadership simultaneously took place, which is seen as the unity of leadership in education, leadership for education and leadership of education (S. Kalashnikova, 2012). Student-centered approach is one of the important bases for forming leadership potential both for universities and the higher education system as a whole, as well as for future specialists who will work in a wide range of fields after their graduation. The evolution of the norms of Ukrainian legislation for the rights of students and student self-government during the last 30 years is analyzed in the article. The first steps in this direction are shown to be made at the turn of the 1980-1990s. However, the movement towards strengthening the academic freedoms of students, their right to choose a part of the content of education, self-government, participation in governance and decision-making process was inconsistent and contradictory. Many of the norms adopted in the early 1990s have not been implemented yet or only they are embedded in the appropriate institutions of higher education. Many of these norms are still negatively perceived by a significant part of Ukrainian educators who do not understand the importance of changing the attitude towards students to improve their success and competitiveness as a system of higher education in Ukraine and particular universities as well as the entire state. Several years ago, the Soviet norms that included the participation of the Komsomol organizations in solving student issues remained valid, and certain Soviet norms remained to be in force today. There is a greater number of such norms in the internal normative documents of institutions of higher education. Meanwhile, the European Higher Education Area continues to develop the methodology and tools of the student-centered approach, to expand the rights and opportunities for students. This negatively affects the competitiveness of Ukrainian higher education.