Mongolia: Higher Education Reform Project

Education / Tertiary

Quality and relevance of higher education programs improved

Effectiveness of HEIs' management and financing improved

Access to higher education improved

HEMIS was developed in 2017-2019. The HEMIS team organized 3 training in 2018-2019 for 286 (188 or 65.73% are female) system end users, including for academic affairs specialists of HEIs, staff from MECSS and HE agencies. The MECSS decided to implement the second phase of the HEMIS. 12 consultants were signed with MECSS contracts on 6 September 2019 to provide 9.8 months service. In the second phase data collection, analysis, reporting, data warehouse are carried out together with maintenance and administration.

Five distance education centers (DEC) have been established at Arkhangai branch school of MSUE, Khovd University, Dornod University, Zavkhan branch school of NUM and all necessary furniture and equipment were supplied. Tele-conferencing equipment was supplied to 5 HEIs. Online course equipment to distance learning center at the MNUE was supplied and installed. Two individual consultants to assist in a development of e-Learning Platform, and implementation of e-Learning at the distance education centers were engaged by the MECSS on 15 December 2017 for 6 months and completed their service. A distance education support consultant, responsible for overall coordination of the planned training at five DEC was hired on 28 January 2019 for 12 person-months and completed his service on 8 April 2020.

A total number of board members of public HEIs was 185 (37/20% were female) in 2009 and 196 (71/36.22%) in 2019 respectively. The number of female board members increased by 16.22% from 2009 to 2019. A total number of managers in public HEIs including directors, vice directors, branch school directors, branch school vice directors, academic affairs directors, department heads was 764 (304/39.79%) in 2009 and 563 (263/46.71%) in 2019, respectively. Overall, the number of female board members and managers of public HEIs increased by 7.99% between 2009 and 2019.

Two year twinning program signed between the Accreditation Agency for Degree Programs in Engineering, Information, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics of Federal Republic of Germany (ASIIN) and the National Council for Education Accreditation of Mongolia (MNCEA) on 26 June 2016 was completed on 31 July 2018. A total of 15 deliverable specified in the agreement have been delivered and the final report was received by MECSS in October 2018. The final report dissemination workshop was held on 26 June 2018. A new set of criteria and procedures for institutional, program and initial accreditation developed under the twinning program was approved by the Governing Board of MNCEA on 26 June 2018. A Charter of Education Accreditation Body was revised and approved by the Government resolution of 5 September 2018. A strategic development of MNCEA that included revision of MNCEA Charter, Board and Structural Units procedures, current organizational set-up and strategic plan was implemented. MNCEA's Management Information System was developed by an IT team of MUST. In addition, an integrated file archiving, finance software and enterprise resource planning system for MNCEA was purchased. APQR Council decision to accept Mongolian National Council for Education Accreditation onto the Asia-Pacific Quality Register (APQR) with validity period for five years till July 2024 was received in July 2019.

In 2018, 20 programs have been nationally accredited in the priority disciplines, such as natural sciences, engineering and technology, and agriculture. A total of 17 programs have been accredited internationally in 2016-2020: (1) General medicine, MNUMS (2017); (2) Geodesy, MUST (2017); (3) Software Engineering, NUM (2017); (4) Information Technology NUM (2017); (5) Telecommunications Engineering Technology, MUST (2018); (6) Wireless Communications Engineering Technology, MUST (2018); (7) Mechanical Engineering, MULS (2018); (8) Teacher, Mathematics, MNUE (2018); (9) Teacher, Information Technology, MNUE; (10) Chemistry, NUM (2018); (11) Teacher, Physics, MNUE (2019); (12) Teacher, Chemistry, MNUE (2019); (13) Teacher, Biology, MNUE (2019); and (14) Teacher, Geography, MNUE (2019); (15) bachelor s degree Textile Industry Technology, MUST (2020); (16) master s degree Textile Industry Technology, MUST (2020) and (17) master s degree Textile Industry Chemistry and Technology, MUST (2020).

The first phase basic CDIO program was completed on 31 January 2018. The following activites have been done under the basic CDIO program: (i) Renovation work of 8 CDIO workshop rooms were completed in May 2017; (ii) three priority discipline of engineering and technology programs of MUST namely Industrial automation program, Textile technology program, Telecommunication program were revised in accordance with the CDIO standards in 2018 and fully applied the CDIO standards; (iii) 24 master trainers were prepared through series of internal and external trainings; (iv) a guideline for lecturers, administrative staff on implementation of CDIO in HEIs was developed in August 2017; and (vi) a set of 6 training manuals were printed and distributed to HEIs; and (v) Equipment and furniture were supplied to the 8 CDIO workshops. In the first stage, a total of 160 faculty members of MUST, NUM, MULS became direct beneficiaries of joint training seminars organized in cooperation with Singapore Polytechnic, and approximately 2,000 teachers of 96 public and private HEIs were trained on CDIO standards and methodologies. 120 (68 or 56.6% are female) faculty members, consultants and MECSS officials participated in 12 overseas CDIO events, including regional meetings.

The second stage of CDIO initiative _Advancing CDIO_ was implemented between April 2018 and April 2019. 6 participating universities were MUST, NUM, MULS, MNUE, MNUAC and MNDU. A series of training, comprised of 5 training components were conducted by 30 October 2018. In total 260 (149 or 57.31% are female) educators and administrators has been successfully trained. 7 programs of MUST, NULS, MNUE, MNUAC, MNDU, where CDIO advanced approach were implemented, were assessed by a working group of MECSS and the Temasek Foundation in 2019. A working group to develop digital learning contents in CDIO approaches was established and completed its activities in 2019. Furniture and equipment were supplied to 6 universities in 2019 and 2020.

In total 286 (183 or 63.9% were female) administrators, managers, and faculty members attended seven trainings organized by a Consulting Service for Higher Education Reform (CSHER) on governance (2), financing (3), and management (2) of higher education. In total 142 (89 or 62.6% was female) administrators, managers and faculty members from the MECSS and HEIs participated in five study tours and nine overseas training in topics related to higher education governance, management and financing. 330 (189/57.2%) senior management staff including presidents of public and private HEIs participated in 4 training on governance and leadership. A consultation meeting on HE governance was organized with collaboration with the parliament with 100 (44% female) participants. Massive open online course on _Higher Education Management_ was developed and commenced from June 2020. At the end of the development of MOOC, training to 143 participants (57/40% are female) was carried out on 25-30 June 2020. The CSHER consultants piloted a corporate governance model at two public and two private universities, including NUM, MNUMS, Ider and Otgontenger universities in 2016. The Higher Education Law was amended to provide public HEIs autonomous status in April 2016; however, the provision was reverted in January 2017. The good practices including composition and selection procedure of board members remained at HEIs.

Office furniture were supplied to 7 rural HEIs in 2014. Minor renovation was completed at 8 HEIs in 2013-2014. Laboratory equipment was supplied to 2 public HEIs in 2015. Laboratory facilities and equipment was supplied to 4 HEIs in 2016-2017. Additional laboratory tools were supplied in 2018. Six software application were supplied to 2 HEIs. Laboratory equipment and tools are supplied to four rural HEIs (Petroleum Research Laboratory of Dornod University, Research Laboratory of Technology School of MUST in Darkhan Uul aimag, Molecular Biology and Immunology Laboratory of Govi-Altai MNUMS and Agro Field Training Laboratory of Agro Ecological and Business School of MULS in Darkhan-Uul aimag) in 2018-2019. Dornod University Sports hall renovation work was completed in May 2019. Laboratory equipment for 3 universities (Ulaanbaatar, Commerce and Business, Khovd) were supplied in March 2020. Equipment and furniture for Medical School Library for Govi-Altai branch of MNUMS are supplied in June 2020.

To strengthen research capacity at the HEIs, 60 research grants were awarded to 312 (of which 152/49% are female) teachers and students of 12 HEIs in 2016 and successfully completed in 2018. All the final reports were accepted by the Science and Technology Foundation. 11 additional competitive grants that address local community problems and support local development were awarded to 129 (79/61.2% are female) teachers and graduate students of rural HEIs in 2019. Seven out of 11 were research grants.2 HEIs signed joint research and training development contracts with world's top two universities on 16 November 2015. The contract signed with MNUE and University of Oulu, Finland was completed and accepted by the MECSS working group on 8 June 2017. The contract established between the MUST and the MIT was completed on 31 December 2017 and assessed by MECSS working group in February 2018. A grant project _Integrated Interdisciplinary Mineral Resource Education in Mongolia_ of MUST together with University of British Columbia, Canada was implemented from 15 June 2018 to 1 June 2020. Blended online learning faculty development programs by Harvard Medical School for the MNUMS - Training to Teachers (T2T) and Training to Clinicians - were conducted in 2018-2020. Moreover, a partial grant to the MUST for its participation agreement with J-WEL Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab of MIT was provided in April 2020. In total 113 partnership grants were awarded to 104 (70/67.3% are female) researchers from 6 HEIs in 2016 with aim to promote Industry and HEI s partnership. Implementation of all partnership development grant projects was assessed and accepted by MECSS Working group in June-December 2017.

The Labor Market Study, Employers Satisfaction Survey and Graduates Tracer Study were conducted at selected 6 HEIs (the NUM, the MNUE, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Etugen University, Shine Anagaah Medical School, Gurvan Erdene Institute) in 2016 using the methodology developed by the IRIM consulting firm. In accordance with accreditation procedures set by MNCEA, all HEIs are obligated to conduct the Employers Satisfaction survey and Graduates Tracer study by using findings of nation-wide Labor Market Study in quality assurance of training programs and HEIs. In addition, the MECSS signed a contract with IRIM LLC to conduct a series of training to disseminate the methodologies developed under its previous assignment. The IRIM LLC conducted total of 81 training for 1,642 (1,184 or 72% female) faculty, administrators, and staff of public and private HEIs in 2015-2018 to disseminate the methodology. In total 53 faculty members (39 or 73.58% female) received individual training. Individual consultations on curriculum revision and career guidance were provided to 11 persons/schools (out of them 5 female).