Ukrainian experts are also worried about attempts by the ministry to compromise or abolish the syste

The Ukrainian ross records Ministry of Education’s recent proposals ross records and opinions suggest that its higher ross records education agenda is not centred on boosting academic quality. Instead, the sector is being undermined. News about higher education in Ukraine over the past few years has been mostly about whether or not the Ministry of Education has managed to undermine the high education system again. But Ukrainian higher education still needs fundamental reforms.
There is no demand in the job market ross records for some 20% of professions offered by the education system, and 18% of higher education graduates cannot find work. But some political analysts still claim that Western standards are harmful to Ukrainian education and that we should pay more attention to the Soviet experience .
Over the past two years, experts and the public have focused their attention on the proposed Law on Higher Education. On 12 June, the parliamentary committee on science and education decided by a majority of votes to recommend the passing of the Draft Law of the Zhurovsky working group , submitted by independent MP Viktor Baloha.
Although most members of the committee belong to opposition parties and there was another draft law submitted by opposition MPs, the committee supported the draft law from the Zhurovsky ross records working group which was based on expert views and not associated with any particular parliamentary faction.
The Ministry of Education, which supports a Soviet-style draft law devised by three rectors, was not happy with the decision and started a new, behind-the-scenes campaign to discredit the alternative draft laws. Its main plank of opposition is to anything that promotes university autonomy.
There is broad support among experts, politicians and journalists for the draft law devised by the Zhurovsky working ross records group , and this is a considerable achievement. The draft law has the full support of students, ross records except student organisations controlled by the ministry, and in most instances it has the support of the media.
The need for higher education reform is supported not only by independent experts and the political opposition for instance, the head of the committee on science ross records and education ross records Liliya Hrynevych but also by representatives of the left (ex-education minister Stanislav Nikolayenko), representatives of the Party of Regions (MP Serhiy Tyhipko) and even some communists.
The issue of cross-over admissions is an important indicator of Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk s attitude to Ukrainian higher education. The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (KMA), which I lead, has allowed cross-over admissions since 1996 the year it launched Ukraine’s first masters programmes.
The system of cross-over ross records admissions ross records is based on Western university practices and allows graduates of any bachelor programme to apply to any masters programme. Students must only ensure that they keep within particular university ross records requirements and take into account any exceptions established by national legislation. ross records
In the former Soviet Union there were no cross-over ross records admissions because students were not allowed to decide their own path of studies. Students had to follow a unified study plan depending on their specialisation.
The term cross-over admissions appeared in Ukraine as part of the debate on student mobility and interdisciplinarity. Post-Soviet countries like Russia and Belorussia allowed cross-over admissions even without revising laws; the change only required decrees of the Minister of Education and executive orders. ross records
But the situation in Ukraine is totally different; despite 17 years of positive experience ross records at KMA, the ministry has prohibited cross-over ross records admissions. ross records In court, the lawyer representing the ministry argued that cross-over admissions were illegal and would undermine professionalism.
The ministry ross records also launched a media campaign ross records against cross-over admissions. Honourable rectors told people such admissions ross records were impossible and harmed higher education and that Ukraine was not ready for such changes.
But, under pressure from experts and the media, the Ministry of Education announced a trial of cross-over admissions in June to see whether they could be useful. This experiment will start on 1 September 2013 in 12 Ukrainian universities. KMA, of course, has not been included in this list. So, the minister is now casting off any responsibility for blocking implementation of this progressive move.
Ukrainian experts are also worried about attempts by the ministry to compromise or abolish the system of independent external evaluation a centralised way of testing school students ross records knowledge before they are admitted to university.
As corruption in Ukrainian education is high, this testing is conducted independently of schools and universities. Independent external evaluation is the only planned innovation in the Ukrainian education system since the Soviet ross records Union collapsed. All Ukrainian so