UNICEF Mongolia - Teachers College Columbia University

CHAPTER 3: RECRUITMENT INTO TEACHING
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TEACHERS IN MONGOLIA: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON RECRUITMENT INTO TEACHING,
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND RETENTION OF TEACHERS
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CHAPTER 3: RECRUITMENT INTO TEACHING
Chapter 3 introduces a core concept in teacher educaon studies that measures the effecveness of
pre-service teacher educaon: recruitment into teaching. This concept is reflected in the flagship preservice
teacher educaon programs of MSUE, and this chapter compares recruitment into teaching
in Mongolia with the effecveness of pre-service teacher educaon in a high-performing educaonal
system (Singapore) as well as with a low-performing educaonal system (Kyrgyzstan).
3.1. THE EXPANSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN MONGOLIA
The explosive growth of higher educaon in Mongolia, as well as the problems associated with it, has
been sufficiently documented in other studies. 17 From 1992 to 2007, enrollment increased more than
six-fold. Most of the private terary instuons are not accredited, but regardless of their accreditaon
status, they manage to aract students and charge on average $300 per year tuion. Since higher
educaon instuons are tuion-driven, they offer degree programs that are cheap in delivery but not
necessarily high in demand on the labor market. For example, there is an undersupply of science and
technology graduates; both are fields that are costly for universies to offer due to expensive laboratory
equipment and other costs. According to the World Bank Mongolia Higher Educaon Policy Note, only 36
percent of university graduates have been able to find a job, compared with 60 percent of graduates from
technical and vocaonal educaon programs. Also, the chances of finding a job are greater for graduates
from public universies. Finally, due to inefficient financing in higher educaon, the tuion fees are
extremely high and many parents, especially from rural areas, are not able to enroll their children in
higher educaon. According to the World Bank study, herders spend 67 percent of their personal loans
on terary educaon.
The situaon has changed drascally in recent mes. As a result of economic growth and polical promises,
funding for higher educaon students has undergone a major increase. Last year, the Government of
Mongolia transferred 500,000 MNT to each student in higher educaon instuons from the so-called
Human Development Fund to be used for tuion, in addion to providing scholarships for special groups;
this is the same fund that also supplies each cizen with 21,000 MNT per month. In the academic year
of 2011/12, the program is likely to connue, as it is a part of the promise the Government of Mongolia
made during the elecon year to “give out 1,5 mln MNT to each cizen.” Financial support for higher
educaon is one of the two possible ways of receiving the “promised” allowance. The other way is using
it against the loans to purchase apartments/housing. Recently, the President announced the introducon
of an addional spend (70,000 MNT per month) for students at higher educaon instuons. However,
it is sll not clear whether all students will receive the spend or whether it is ed to the academic
performance of the student. In addion to state funds, there are also private funds for higher educaon
students. 18
Figure 7 presents the enrollment figures for bachelor’s programs. The programs in the social sciences,
17 See, for example, World Bank. (2010). Terary Educaon in Mongolia. Meeng the Challenges of the Global Economy. Mongolia
Higher Educaon Policy Note. Washington, DC: Word Bank.
18 Besides the government scholarships, private companies and businesses (mostly banks and mining companies) have their own
scholarship programs. These programs seem to be more targeted in that they try to seek out to fund students in the programs
related to their business or students from their target area. For instance, Oyu Tolgoi LLC has a scholarship program for undergraduate
students from Omnogobi aimag.