There was no autonomy in regard to the subjects to be taught, number of hours for both total courses and courses taught each semester, ratio of professors and students, or textbooks used. In the late '80s this practice started to collapse, and then, in 1991-92, the former Soviet republics simply refused to finance their foreign students who poured into the Russian universities which reluctantly let them complete their courses. Currently, Russia provides journalism education to a small number of students from Vietnam, Arab countries, and South Korea, as well as to handfuls of westerners eager to learn Slavic subjects. Starting from the same point in 1991, the former Soviet schools went in different directions. At least in Russia, a university professorship is now one of the lowest paid and least prestigious jobs.
Western organizations are of some help here.
In Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, reform of higher education commenced with the introduction of university statutes approved by the parliaments. The statutes, that function as state laws, protect national universities from government interference and guarantee broad internal autonomy. Education, nevertheless, is financed from the state budget. It is still free in Lithuania, but Estonia introduced a loan system for students in 1993. M.A. The main emphasis in the 1991-92 curricula reform was the development of practical workshops in print or broadcast media.