Not making the grade

By Moskovskiye Novosti & The Moscow News. New effectiveness ratings for institutions of higher learning in Russia mean that some colleges have been put on a special list, one that describes them as “ineffective” by virtue of the subject matter they teach. Two famous humanities schools in Moscow have landed on this list, resulting in criticism of the Ministry of Education.
With Russian universities and various institutes continually failing to make their mark in international ratings, it seemed natural that the Ministry of Education would step in with corrective measures. Yet the ministry’s one-size-fits all system for ranking effectiveness has come under fire, and with good reason: higher education experts and students themselves believe that you simply can’t lump the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in with the Higher School of Economics, and so on. Read more...