Youth practices of higher education choice

Abstract

This article is devoted to the analysis of social practices in the field of higher education, formed in post-Soviet Central Asian countries, with specific references to Kazakhstan. The authors link these practices to the reaction of the education system to transformation of its functioning conditions, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Higher education in Central Asian countries has undergone great changes: decentralization and expansion of economic freedom of educational institutions (Kazakhstan); consolidation of resources and adaptation to the new conditions of the labor market (Tajikistan); preservation of positive experience and an attempt to implement the European standards (Kyrgyzstan); the introduction of rigid control of the budget of universities (Uzbekistan). The strategy in the higher education system in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan was aimed at its “internal and external” extension, while Uzbekistan and Tajikistan support the development of a flexible system of vocational education based on demand. Kazakhstan was significantly affected by the collapse of the Soviet system: breaking ties with many leading former Soviet universities entailed irreversible processes in changing of the entire infrastructure of higher school in the country. The article analyzes the youth patterns of higher education choice and the influence of family capital. The main results of a qualitative study of a university and a specialty choice in the context of the social class are presented.
Key words: higher education, youth practices, economic barriers, higher education choice, professional choice.