The Ministry of Education and Science created a Commission to determine what real help and support displaced universities need today and how to make them competitive among other universities.
Until the end of November, the members of the Commission will conduct a survey of managers and employees of displaced institutions, and also find out the situation regarding the contingent of higher education institutions, the state of educational premises and dormitories, study the laboratory base and educational programs, and talk with students. Based on the results of this work, proposals will be developed on how to improve the activities of each of these universities.
"Among the relocated institutions are 19 universities and 2 institutes of postgraduate pedagogical education. There are powerful universities that have successfully resumed work in new locations, but there are also those that need to solve a number of problematic issues, and in each specific case it should be a separate decision at different levels of executive power. Our task is to find these solutions and help universities apply them," said First Deputy Minister of Education and Science Volodymyr Kovtunets.
In two years, the Ministry has already managed to solve some of the issues related to the restoration of the activities of displaced higher education institutions. For example, the problem with the accommodation of the Tavri National University in Kyiv was solved, international grants were attracted for the repair of buildings and dormitories, and the purchase of equipment for a number of other institutions.
Relocated higher education institutions also have a fixed amount of state orders, and you can enter them according to a simplified procedure - through educational centers. During the admission campaign of 2017, they operated on the basis of these universities for the second year in a row. But, as practice shows, relocated universities still experience a lot of competition from other institutions.
"We must not just preserve these universities, but also help them remain successful until the time when they can return home," Volodymyr Kovtunets added.
It should be noted that currently the largest contingent has: Luhansk National University named after Taras Shevchenko - 8,916 students, Eastern Ukrainian National University named after Volodymyr Dal - 6,635 students and Donetsk National University named after Vasyl Stus - 5,331 students. The smallest - Luhansk State Academy of Culture and Arts - 205, Makiiv Economic and Humanitarian Institute - 110 students.
For reference. The Commission included experts from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, other state authorities, people's deputies, and representatives of public organizations. The full list can be found at the link.
