LI Li

(№.3,2013)

Abstract: After Russia proclaimed independence, it began to carry out an economic, political and social transformation. It also had a series of reforms towards market and with liberalist inclination on its higher education for which to fit in with the needs of market economy and deal with the challenge of globalism. However, the reforms did not bring about an educational liberty and prosperity as anticipated, but a decline in educational quality instead, because of not enough financial allocations and a slack supervision. The institutions of higher learning were over restricted by market and involved in a new kind of not acting on their own. After a short period of vibration, there was a certain regression tendency of nationalization in the higher education of Russia. This was a projection of the reforms of political system and the changes of social ideological trend and this also reflected the unique spiritual essence of higher education which acted as a cultural carrier and a civilization propagator. The higher education of Russia incarnated the fusion of liberalism and conservatism either in the main body of running school, administrative system, financial allocations or in the fields of entrance exams and international cooperation. Advance in a conservative way became a wind vane of its higher education reforms.

Key words: Russia; higher education; liberalism; conservatism