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PART Issues and Perspectives ofHigher Education

Health and welfare services for students are provided by individual institution of higher education. Students are allowed to use libraries, sports facilities and dormitories of their institution free of charge. They are also guaranteed free medical services and granted a special privilege to use public transportation either in reduced fares or free of charge.

Under higher education reform, students have been given the right to participate more extensively in self-government activities and in the administration and management of institutions of higher education. Until recent years various problems regarding student life had been raised and solved by Komsomol (All Union Lenin Communist Youth League). Since the abolition of the dictatorship of the Communist Party, the structure and activities of Komsomol organizations have been weakened, as more and more students withdrew from the organizations. Instead, a variety of student organizations have been formed in place of Komsomol organizations. Meanwhile students have been allowed to participate in the following organs of each institution of higher education as full members: the Council of Institution deliberating and determining various issues related to the appointment and dismissal of teachers and the financing of the institution; the Academic Council dealing with educational and research issues; and the Faculty Council responsible for the administration and management of each faculty.

Like other citizens, students today are confronted with very serious material and economic problems regarding their daily lives. While dormitories are available to students living outside the locality where the institution of higher education is situated, the capacity of these dormitories is too limited to accommodate all students who wish to live there. The average proportion of students who are living in dormitories is about 80%. While many of the students are married, accommodations for married students are especially insufficient. In addition, there is an urgent need to reconstruct existing dormitory buildings, which are increasingly becoming obsolete.

Legally, all students enrolled in full-time courses are entitled to receive a scholarship whose basic amount is 40 roubles per month (some 17% of the average wage of all employees in industries). In addition, there are special scholarships for abler students with outstanding academic achievement. However, because of insufficient funds allocated from the state budget, there are some institutions, which cannot afford to pay scholarships to all their students. In 1989, the number of full-time students benefiting from scholarships accounted for 76% of all students. Due to limited scholarship funds, students are encouraged to take advantage of maintenance grants provided on a contract basis by industrial enterprises for those students who promise to be employed in these enterprises after graduation. In 1989 the number of such students represented 8.2% of all students. Along with a rise in prices, scholarships have tended to be insufficient for students to meet all costs of their living. Since there are few part-time jobs for students and, if any, the amount of income from such jobs is rather low, most students depend on financial assistance from parents.

To improve this situation, it has been determined that all students be granted scholarships in and after 1990 and that the basic amount of a scholarship be increased to 60 roubles per month in 1991. Further it has been decided that individual institution of higher education set up new funds for giving material and financial assistance to poor students and students with children and that loans be provided for students enrolled in the third year or above who have their own families.