Fostering Competencies Development in Belarusian Higher Education

During most of the first decade of the 21st century, Belarus experienced strong economic growth (GDP in 2001-2008 grew on average by 8.3% annually) and made substantial progress in poverty reduction (poverty line declined from 30% in 2002 to 5% in 2010). However, since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, Belarus has experienced significant economic instability. Strong and robust economic growth and development in Belarus going forward will necessarily have to rely on the country’s human capital. For that, it is necessary to move upmarket through a steady increase in labour productivity, which in its turn requires and adequately prepared workforce. Improving the effective functioning of the higher education (HE) system is thus an important priority for the country. The main aim of ‘Fostering Competencies Development in Belarusian Higher Education’ (FOSTERC) has been to strengthen the use of innovative principles and approaches to teaching and learning in the Belarusian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for the improvement of graduates’ learning outcomes. FOSTERC has examined the curricular development focusing on graduates’ competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes). It has fostered competencies development for matching the social and economic demands and in turn to improve the overall quality of HE. Implementing the reforms, FOSTERC has supported the modernisation of governance, management and functioning of Belarusian HEIs, and the upgrade and improvement of teaching and learning methodologies. It has provided trainings, methodological tools and indicators for conceptualization of learning outcomes, and has integrated good practices and new methods into daily activities. It has also provided the necessary information and tools to facilitate the implementation of internal and external quality assurance assessments, supporting, at the end, the modernisation of Belarusian participating universities and being the reference of the modernisation of the rest of Belarusian HEIs.