Cooperation between Higher Education Institutions and Non-governmental Organizations in Higher Education: International Discourse

Abstract

The article is aimed to provide content analysis of the international discourse on interaction and cooperation between higher education institutions and non-governmental organizations. Being different in nature and characteristics, higher education institutions and non-governmental organizations are social actors whose activities, among other things, are aimed at ensuring the development of the society. In order to achieve this aim, higher education institutions and non-governmental organizations cooperate in various fields and formats that go beyond the higher education sector. An important result of the content analysis is introduction of the terminological phrase "non-governmental organization in higher education", which corresponds to the international classifiers "World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations" and "International Classification of Non-profit Organizations". The typology of " non-governmental higher education organization" includes non-governmental organizations whose activities are related to the provision of access to higher education, the organization of educational services and the quality assurance of higher education. The categorical conceptual apparatus for describing cooperation between higher education institutions and non-governmental organizations needs to be expanded and clarified in order to fully and adequately specify the processes of their interaction. The analysis of the intellectual and documentary heritage of the Bologna Process, the EU, UNESCO, and other international associations shows that cooperation between higher education institutions and non-governmental organizations is not only to ensure access to higher education, butit is much more wider. Non-governmental organizations are able to organize and provide educational services, such as in the field of non-formal education; partner with higher education institutions in projects addressed to local communities. In addition, non-governmental organizations are an important mechanism for articulating and aggregating the interests and requests of citizens, communities, local communities for higher education, and higher education institutions. Studying the mechanisms of cooperation between higher education institutions and non-governmental organizations is of great practical importance, since the latter are an authoritative tool for disseminating academic knowledge and practical development of universities, forming a 'knowledge society' and satisfying the needs of the society.