This paper provides an overview of the Mongolian higher education sector and presents the challenges that it faces. It then delves into some of the opportunities that would allow the sector to overcome the challenges that it faces, provided that they are properly managed.

The Mongolian higher education sector, with only 80 years of history, has undergone several distinct phases. It began in 1942 with the establishment of the first university, modeled after the Soviet education system. Over the next several decades, specialized institutions branched out from the National University, creating a highly specialized higher education system in Mongolia. As socialism began to unravel in the 1980s, however, the system nearly collapsed.

During Mongolia’s transition from a planned economy to an open-market economy, the higher education sector experienced significant expansion and liberalization. Efforts were made to introduce international best practices, supported by countries such as the United States, Germany, and Japan. These changes led to the adoption of a credit-based curriculum, the establishment of accreditation mechanisms, and a transformation in management structures.

Between 2002 and 2022, many foreign-trained specialists began working in public institutions, publishing research internationally. During this period, government involvement in higher education administration increased, limiting institutional independence. Even amendments to higher education law failed to resolve these issues, and discussions on establishing a research university did not yield significant results. In 2023, a new set of education laws was enacted, creating a legal framework for transforming the higher education sector. These laws enhanced the independence of universities, particularly through the appointment of university rectors by an independent governing board.

According to the ministry of education, there were 145,267 students across 69 higher education institutions in the 2022–2023 academic year. Notably, only 58,828 students (40.5 percent) were enrolled in 50 private institutions, which represent 72.5 percent of all higher education institutions, indicating a large number of small private institutions. The majority of students (77.4 percent) were pursuing a bachelor degree, 17.6 percent were enrolled in master programs, and 3.1 percent were engaged in doctoral studies.

Challenges

Despite significant efforts and funding from foreign institutions to strengthen the Mongolian higher education system and introduce international best practices, as well as the return of many highly qualified specialists trained abroad over the last 30 years, the quality of higher education in Mongolia has not seen substantial improvement due to several critical challenges.

Relevance. The mismatch between students’ knowledge, skills, and competences on the one hand and the labor market’s needs on the other is an issue that has consistently plagued Mongolia. Mongolian universities aspire to become regional and global institutions but lack the capacity to develop adequate human resources for the domestic market. For instance, although the government estimates that 37,000 engineers and technicians are required for upcoming development projects, only 12.5 percent of students are engaged in engineering education. The fact that 28.2 percent of students are enrolled in programs such as business, management, and law raises concerns about the relevance of the education system. Another issue facing the higher education system is the fact that the absence of a robust graduate school framework leads to the preparation of unqualified specialists that only see graduate degrees as a means for career advancement.

Enrollment. The gross enrollment ratio (GER) of Mongolia is over 70 percent, which is very high compared to many other countries. However, the fact that the number of high school graduates are expected to increase by a factor of 2.5 between 2025 and 2026 will put a significant strain on higher education institutions. Additionally, to remain competitive with international higher education institutions, Mongolian universities will need to make substantial investments in the quality of education and learning environment. The issue is further compounded by the fact that Japan, South Korea, and some other countries have begun offering scholarships for talented Mongolian students in order to counteract the decline in their enrollment.

Political interference. Although new education laws increase the autonomy of the governing boards of higher education institutions, political interference remains prevalent, particularly in the appointment of rectors. Furthermore, there have been instances where instructor and student unions are leveraged for political purposes.

Faculty. The saying “It is not what you know but who you know” has become increasingly relevant at public higher education institutions. Nepotism and cronyism have become deeply embedded in the faculty hiring process. As a result, there are significant obstacles to the hiring of young, talented researchers.

Management and leadership. The involvement of the government in the hiring of university leadership prevents a transparent hiring process. Furthermore, the inability to establish trailblazers among university administrators deprives the system of individuals capable of managing its development. The issue is further compounded by a lack of a robust training system for administrators and the fact that many of them have limited second-language proficiency. This leads to stagnation of research, innovation, and leadership, with administrators simply becoming day-to-day managers.

Research and innovation. As science and higher education developed separately in Mongolia under the Soviet model, the outdated view that universities are simply education institutions persists to this day. There is some change in this attitude as National University of Mongolia (NUM), Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS), Mongolian University of Life Sciences (MULS), and Mongolian State University of Education (MSUE) researchers accounted for 65 percent of papers published internationally in recent years, while the remaining 35 percent of papers were produced by the National Academy of Sciences. Furthermore, 76 percent of researchers were affiliated with one of the five schools. Despite the fact that those universities have also implemented initiatives to establish state-of-the-art laboratories with international support, government support for those initiatives remains limited.

Financing. Almost 90 percent of the annual budget of public higher education institutions come from tuition payments. While new legislation on education proposes that the fixed costs of public universities come from the government budget, its implementation remains uncertain. There are very limited research funding opportunities made available through partnerships with industry, and the research infrastructure of universities is not fully utilized by industry.

Opportunities

Although there are challenges facing the Mongolian higher education system, there are promising opportunities to overcome them and to drive a paradigm shift in higher education and research.

Legal environment. The new legislation on education views all phases of education as an interconnected system, opening up opportunities in terms of administration and other areas of the sector. By capitalizing on this, universities could gain greater independence, enhanced academic freedom, diversified income streams, and increased research output. Furthermore, Vision 2050, Mongolia’s long-term development policy, redefines the vision and mission of higher education, empowering universities to pursue updated strategic development plans.

Collaboration. The six public universities signed an agreement to harmonize their activities in 2021 with the goals of consolidating the capacity of researchers, enhancing interdisciplinary research and development, and supporting student mobility. Reinforcing this arrangement through a strategic partnership would provide a significant opportunity for development.

Digital transformation. The global COVID-19 pandemic provided a significant impetus for the digital transformation of the education sector. This year, NUM developed the “Past Nomads on the Mongolian Steppe” MOOC by a Yale University graduate and hosted it on the FutureLearn platform. Initiatives such as this will make a significant contribution to the transformation of the Mongolian education sector.

Conclusion

The Mongolian higher education system is indeed facing a diverse set of challenges. Although it has struggled to address them so far, there are opportunities to increase independence and academic freedom, enact digital transformation, and establish collaboration among public institutions. Taking advantage of these opportunities would allow the sector to address its challenges.

Dendev Badarch is professor at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. E-mail: [email protected].

Badarch Munkhbold is adjunct professor at Webster University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. E-mail: [email protected].