The challenge for private institutions is to work with governments
to seek a licence to operate and receive accreditation for offering
degrees, yet to maintain independence by minimising outside micromanagement.
Stetar and Stocker (1997) suggested that in Ukraine,
the state persists in an old Soviet-style ideology that prevents privateinstitutions from operating in a manner to maximise contributions to
societal needs. At the same time in Slovakia, ‘‘state universities are
not as conservative and backwards as some commentators would
allow’’ (Collinge 2004, p. 191). After ensuring that private institutions
meet established criteria for accreditation, governments should step
aside and intervene only when additional information questions
an institution’s accreditation status.