Peculiarities of China’s higher education development based on national organisational culture

Abstract

In the paper it has been substantiated that the economic growth of China in the 21^st century is due, among other things, to the modernization of the higher education system, focused on improving highly qualified specialists’ training. Modernization of the educational system is an important component of China’s strategy, an indispensable condition for the transition to a knowledge society and the construction of an advanced competitive state. Organisational culture of the university based on national values ​​and spiritual traditions of Chinese culture is a powerful potential for comprehensive improvement of higher education quality in China. The purpose of the article is to determine and characterize the features of the development of higher education in China on the basis of national organisational culture. To realise the set goal, a complex of general scientific methods was applied, such as: analysis, comparison, systematization, generalization, which provided the interpretation of scientific literature on the research problem and clarification of the essence of basic concepts. The organisational culture of a higher education institution is defined as a specific form of life activity of the organisation, which allows to talk about a higher education institution as a self-organised system built on the principles of the value of knowledge and freedom of learning. In the regulatory documents on the strategic development of higher education in China, it is stated that in the context of globalization and internationalization, higher education should not only conform to international trends, but also preserve Chinese national specificity. Therefore, Confucianism became the ideological basis and value standard of organisational culture, which most contributed to forming the spiritual culture of students in higher education institutions of China and helped to preserve traditional Chinese values – collectivism, orientation to the achievement of general welfare, respect for authority, which made it possible to develop a system of higher education to a qualitatively new level. The main components of organisational culture that ensure creating a unique social and psychological environment in modern Chinese universities are the environment, the university’s mission, academic leadership, information, strategy, and socialization. We believe that the pedagogically valuable experience of the People’s Republic of China in the development of higher education on the basis of national organisational culture can be creatively rethought and used in the domestic system of higher education, which will contribute to increasing its rating in the world educational space.