Tkachenko U. Trends of the Development of Higher Education in Ukraine (Late Twentieth – Early Twenty-First Century).

Theoretic-methodological principles and the condition of research of the problem of development of higher education in Ukraine of the late twentieth – the early twenty-first century have been analysed in the dissertation. Domestic scientists since the mid-90s of the last century have studied the theoretical ideas of the new strategy of education development, peculiarities of professional training of the future specialists in higher education institutions, theoretic-methodological principles of predicting the transformation of the education sphere, evolution of the system of higher education in the independent state and its integration into European space of higher education and science. The essence of the key concepts of the research («higher education», «trends of development of higher education», «higher school», «classical university», «methodology of pedagogy») has been specified and the methodological principle and approaches of scientific research have been defined. On the basis of the author’s concept the periodization of this process and its essential characteristic has been carried out. Three periods of development of higher education in the independent Ukraine have been defined: I – 1991–2002 – formation of the national system of higher education of the independent Ukrainian state; ІІ – 2002–2014 – development of higher education in Ukraine in the context of European integration processes; III – 2014–2019 – transformation of higher education systems of Ukraine in accordance with the new law of Ukraine «On Higher Education». The leading trends of evolution of the educational sphere of the Ukrainian state on the basis of domestic pedagogical traditions and principles of its integration into the European space of higher education and science have been singled out and revealed. It is substantiated that two trends were common for all three periods: the growing role of higher education as a leading factor in ensuring the livelihood of the state, society and every individual, and its periodic crisis, mainly due to lack of financing. Specific trends were: determining one’s own path of development in the post-Soviet period on the achievements of Ukrainian pedagogy and focusing on entering the European educational space; expanding access to education and professional training of the citizens of the state; optimization of the system of higher education institutions of the I-IV levels of accreditation; integration of higher education institutions with the scientific organizations and industry; increase in the number of higher education institutions and the number of students in them (the first period); formation of the regulatory framework in accordance with the principles of the European space of higher education and science; taking into account demographic, ethnic and socio-economic factors in the development of the network of higher education institutions; change of organizational forms of educational activity; globalization of the market of educational services; deployment of the system of training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical staff; implementation of the basic principles of the Bologna process in the activities of higher education institutions, etc. (the second period); bringing the network of higher education institutions of all types and levels of accreditation in line with the needs of the state and individual regions; strengthening control over the quality of providing educational services to the population; expanding of the content of education and the conditions for organization of the system of lifelong learning of the growing generation, taking into account the best world experience and the national traditions of Ukraine; focus on the European integration of the educational space (the third period). The trends of formation of human resources for higher education in Ukraine in the period under research have been revealed. The proposals have been developed (at the national and institutional levels) for further transformation of the state’s educational sphere in the conditions of the information society and the European integration processes.