Education SystemScience in Mongolia
Mongolia has a tradition of respect for knowledge and wisdom. In great Chinggis Khaan's times people with knowledge and experience were summoned to "The counsel of sages". It was highly respected for its assistance in state management
and devising domestic and foreign policy. Besides, the members of this group were ranked according to their functions, for instance, there were people, whose duty was to write down the Khaan's orders or to announce them to people. Later, in 1264, Chinggis's grandson Khubilai Khaan, founded the so-called "Institute of learned scholars", by which the concept of "Academy" was given to the world. In 1921 "The Literary Committee" was established.
It was the predecessor of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) which was established in 1961. Until the end of 20th century the Academy existed and worked within the standards of similar organisations of the former USSR. Over the past 80 years, Mongolian geologists have confirmed that Mongolia has over 80 kinds of mineral resources. Many geological, geotectonic and hydro geological maps have been produced. Classification, analyses, location, development and history of the main periods of the organic world over 700 million years have been made. Maps for seismic active locations and a net of earthquake occurrences have been made.
Theoretical research into physical mathematics, nuclear and space physics, biophysics and observations of latitude and longitude have been made. A total of 119 new and previously unknown medicinal plants have been discovered. A catalogue of Mongolian mammals, birds, fish and about 9000 insects has been made. The Mongolian Academy of Sciences also released a Mongolian National Atlas and the Mongolian Red Book. A five-volume book on Mongolian history has been published. The Mongol gene pool has been studied and a new human gene has been discovered. This success has been registered by the World Health Organization.
Today, external relations and cooperation with Mongolian science are expanding. Mongolia now ooperates with science and academic organisations in 20 countries such as the USA, Russia, Britain, China, Germany and Korea. Since 1998 the Mongolian Parliament has been developing its own policy towards science by approving and implementing the Laws on Science and Technology and the Law on Transfer of Technology. In addition, it created a legal framework for the activities of scientific organisations. At present, the MAS has 49 scientific organisations, which consist of 5 technological sciences, 3 natural sciences, 5 agricultural sciences, 4 medical sciences, 15 social sciences institutions and centres, as well as 10 research, experimental and production corporations.
About 4254 researchers work in these. In March 22, 1981 Mongolian citizen J. Gurragchaa flew to the space with V. Djanibekov, Russian astronaut by a spacecraft "Soyuz 39". Thus, he became the 101" cosmonaut of the world. During the flight of 188 hours, 42 minutes and 03 seconds, Mongolian cosmonaut carried out experiments and studies. organisations. There are about 800 scholars including 200 doctors of science. Mongolian scholars have achieved a big success in studying its history, language and culture, identifying peculiarities of its nature and climate, and investigating natural resources of the country, as well as in bringing new types of plants and new breeds of animals, diagnosing, treating and preventing different kinds of human and animal diseases.
In 2002 on the basis of the science, technology and information corporation a Technological National park was founded with the purpose of giving support to high technology's development, making business more profitable and creating a Sciences Support Fund.The Mongolian Government in 2000 started the implementation of a 10 year National program to develop science and technology, and capacity-building, to increase the researchers and scientific workers' creations and inventions' evaluation, deepen market relations in this field, introduce the results of applied sciences into production and improve the structure. By doing so, the Academy will have a sustainable finance system.
Higher Education in Mongolia
After the victory of the People's revolution in 1921 the most promising students were sent to Russia or other foreign countries for further studies. In 1926, 40 Mongolian students went to Germany and France for higher education and they became the first Mongolian intelligentsia. The first Mongolian higher education institution, the Mongolian State University was founded on 5th May 1942. Its first academic year commenced on 5th October 1942 with 93 students in three faculties and 57 students on graduate course. Seven departments such as veterinary science, biological science, mathematics, physics, organic chemistry and non-organic chemistry functioned as the three founding faculties of the University at that time. The first 35 graduates from the University were awarded higher education diplomas in 1946. Later, in 1951, the teachers' training faculty was reorganized into the State Pedagogical Institute with 4 faculties, 8 teachers and 212 students. Now it is the State Pedagogical University.
The faculty of zoology in 1958 became an independent Agricultural Institute. The medical faculty became the Medical Institute in 1961. By 1966, the Mongolian State' University had a Technical Institute with 5 faculties and 13 departments, which later became a University in its own right. The Russian language faculty took its own place in 1979, among others. Today there are more than 10 State Universities and institutes financed by the Government. From 1991 the first private higher education institutions such as "Mongol business", "Mongol Knowledge", "Shikhikhutag", "Shonkhor", "Otgontenger", "Orkhon" and others opened. State subsidised scholarships totalling 650.9 million tugrig for 24,560 children from herder families, civil servants and socially vulnerable groups studying at universities, institutes and colleges.
As part of "Year for Students", work places were created to provide 371 students with part-time or full-time employment. The first medical clinic for students, financed by the Department of Health Insurances, opened its doors in March 2003. Students from both state-run and private universities and colleges benefit from the service and receive diagnostic and preventive treatments. In the new academic year of 2003-2004, 22,000 new students entered more than 70 state -run and nearly 120 private universities and colleges, as well as 30 vocational training schools. In the same academic year, Mongolia sent 229 undergraduate and post -graduate students to 14 countries by way of inter-governmental agreements. As of 2003, there were 584 foreign students studying in Mongolia, a 3 fold increase from 3 years ago.
National University of Mongolia
Distance education has always been important in Mongolia, as so many herders live in remote areas, but economic hardship and higher tuition fees force students to stay at home. A nationwide radio education program, supported by UNESCO, teaches nomads everything from marketing skills to how best to raise livestock. Between 2001-2003 more than 130,000 people were involved in the informal education sector which is the highest figure recorded in the last 10 years.Study in one of our new york business schools and be on your way to a successful career.
Primary and secondary education in Mongolia
During the socialist period the State administered all kindergartens The first kindergarten for thirty children was opened in Ulaanbaatar in 1930. By 1940 there were more than 40 kindergartens in the country. Towards the end of the 1980s 25 per cent of all pre-school age children attended kindergartens.. During this period they acquire basic physical, aesthetic and work knowledge and are taught the elements of reading, writing and counting. The most of their expenses are being borne by the State. However the strengthening of pre-school education became an urgent objective in view of the drastic decline of the sector due to the eco-nomic and social crisis facing Mongolia at the wake of its transition to a market economy in the early 1990s. In 1995, the Ministry of Science, Technology, Education and Culture adopted a national program on the improvement of the pre-school establishments.
The implementation of the program started in December, 1997 and was completed with great success in March, 2001 with the financial support of the Government of the Netherlands, the British Partnership scheme and Save the Children Fund (UK). In 2004, the enrolment rate of children in kindergartens from 2 to 7 years olds stood at around 40 percent. There are 687 pre-school institutions nationwide catering for 91000 children. 6,000 teachers and assistant teachers work in pre-school educational institutions. Between 2000-2003 10 kindergartens were built with a total of 655 beds. Prior to the socialist era in Mongolia formal education was widely provided in monasteries and among government officials. Stratified sections of society were then chosen to be formally educated in order to either communicate with neighbouring countries or to be able to recite Buddhist texts.
A formal education was exclusive and selective. Informal practical skills were learnt at home and passed on within the family environment. As a result of the People's Revolution in 1921 a new philosophy swept the country including the right to a free education regardless of gender, ethnic origin or wealth. By the 1930s the state first opened schools providing formal education for the populous across the country coupled with boarding houses to provide children from nomadic families with accommodation, food and clothing. Education became uniform, formalised and available to all. By the mid-20* century literacy rates in Mongolia increased drastically and with the shift from traditional Mongolian script to Cyrillic, teachers were sent out into the countryside to ensure all the population could read and write. Pioneer activities allowed for moral and practical teachings outside the formal school environment.
In the countryside cooperatives, eager to attain maximum productivity, ensured that all aspects of a child's education were to be looked after by the state leaving parents free to work. By the 1960s illiteracy was eradicated completely nationwide. UNESCO recognised this fact and rewarded Mongolia for this achievement. By the beginning of the 1990s the socio-economic situation of the country changed radically and the transition to an open market economy hit Mongolia's education system hard. Many teachers chose to abandon their jobs due to the lack of income and turned to new trades and businesses. With the collapse of local cooperatives parents returned to herding with the few animals they managed to reclaim and their children were often forced to help at home with herding. By the late 1990s the situation in the country's educational system started to improve.
Many structural changes were made in the education sector. One of these was the project "Education sector development program" instigated by the Ministry of Culture, Education and Science in 1997. The program funded by loans and a technical assistance grant from the Asian Development Bank aimed at improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of the education system, and restructuring education institutions. The implementation of the project has resulted in a modern secondary and higher education system This shift in the educational sector has been facilitated by a package of laws on education since 1995 crating a legal environment that has helped to make the necessary adjustment in the education system to that of highly developed countries, enhancing the quality of education at all levels, upgrading equipment and facilities.
According to a package of laws on education adopted in 2002 and due to come into force in 2005, the compulsory school age of children in Mongolia will be seven years and they must receive eleven years secondary education. In line with this, a new primary and secondary education model has been developed, which is an important step for reform in the education sector. In Mongolia elementary education is widespread and mostly free, with the result that the country boasts one of the highest literacy rates (97.8 per cent) in the world. According to the statistics of 2004, there are 688 primary and secondary schools, with 550,000 children in attendance. The enrolment rates for 8 year old and 7 year old children in the first grade were 88.2 percent and 36.5 percent respectively.
The enrolment rate of children aged between 8-15 years is 98 per cent. Among these schools there are several specialised secondary schools. The goal of these schools is to provide focused education for pupils with special abilities in certain fields. There are approximately 20,725 highly educated teachers working in Mongolian secondary schools. More than 7,527 of them are teaching elementary classes, and 13,198 teaching secondary and above. There are 32 vocational education and training centres with 20,000 students and over 800 teachers.
