It is popular thought that any state budgeting
reforms are aimed at getting more for less money – more of service, quality,
volume. Speaking about the education in Ukraine, the Government searches for
the ways to cut its spending, as well as to increase the education level. Can
such approach be effective in Ukraine?
As reforms started by 2013-2014 EuroMaidan
continue, the education is declared one of their key targets. General masses
see it as highly corrupt, bribery-prone and inefficient, yet taking too much taxpayers’
money. As most reforms have both limited basis and appeal, the Anglo-Saxon
system has been de facto chosen as a pattern for future changes – it means that
those who want good education must pay for it. As civil society was insipid,
being mostly presented by populist student groups, two forces clashed over the
issue – top management of the universities and reformers with a limited
outlook. The result was horrible as both of them managed to lobby their
interests and come to the agreements that deprived education of any future
development prospects. University presidents did whatever they could for conservation
of the Soviet traditions, e.g. the degree of the “Doctor of Science” has been
kept. The reformers contented themselves with the very idea of the reform being
implemented which made them proud.
Two major sector groups found themselves among
losers: students and school teachers, university faculty. There was no one to protect
their interests as the reforms were developed. Instead of being provided with
more professional growth facilities, they fall under more pointless control and
certification. In 2016 awarding of Ph.D. degrees was de facto stopped as
requirements were made unattainable: any tutor eager to get the degree is to
spend thousands of dollars (which makes his/her income in several years) on publication
of the scientific articles and training abroad. Of course, universities are
supposed to finance that – but they lack money even for heating and textbooks.
Instead of pronouncing the true state of
affairs catastrophic, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine keeps
simulating activity in reforms implementation. No doubt, Ukraine needs reforms.
But current version of reforms put teachers and academic staff on the verge of
extinction as the whole system is in the process of collapsing duet to bad
ungrounded choices. And future generations are made hostages of the situation.
It is clear that the Ministry’s top management
is not into reforms for the future: it is into covering up the plagiarism and
corruption, making advances to the influential university presidents, promoting
the Russian language at the time of war with Russia, and assisting Russian
agents that keep working in the Ministry.
While trying to tighten the belts to resist
Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv Government might lose battle for
the future destroying its basis – the education.
