How the latest decisions on mobilization will affect education in Ukraine
Mobilization always has a serious impact on all spheres of life, including education. Ukraine is currently in extremely difficult conditions, facing a constant need for armed forces, which directly affected the educational process.
The process of mobilization forces young people to review their career plans, as well as to look for alternative ways to avoid military conscription. Among them are:
- Education abroad. Many students choose this path, which allows them to obtain a quality education and a diploma from a foreign university, which allows them to work and be more competitive in other countries or foreign companies, as well as to maintain their security. Over the past two years, the number of requests from Ukrainians for education abroad has increased several times.
How much now our youth studies abroad, is not officially reported anywhere, but even on the eve of a full-scale war in Ukraine, NAZYAVO published a report indicating that in 2021 (compared to October 1, 2020), the number of students decreased by 3.5%, i.e. by almost 37 thousand persons It is also known that more than 48,000 Ukrainian students are currently studying at Polish universities.
In addition, Ukrainian students who are abroad, continue to study remotely in Ukrainian universities, but their exact number is also not reported. According to Serhiy Babak, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Committee on Education, Science, and Innovation, one can only roughly calculate, taking as a guide those who take the external examination abroad – this is approximately 10% of the total number of entrants. Therefore, according to our estimates, 10-15% of students are abroad. This is approximately 130-150 thousand people,
- Full-time studies as students and masters. Men began to actively enroll in higher educational institutions, acquiring a second and third education, in order to get a reprieve from mobilization. This previously allowed them to complete the educational process before being called up for military service, but the new law has closed this loophole.
In addition, there was another cunning loophole in the education system, which was also actively used by men. It was a renewal of education. This tool works when a student has been expelled, but has not yet completed their own studies. Such a draft evasion scheme is too difficult to trace even today.
Often, entrants ask about the possibility of holding a session for a bribe or buying diploma theses. These students specifically choose a major that can be studied very easily. It is still possible to enroll in unpopular areas of education, which immediately gives such students the opportunity to avoid expulsion for failing exams. Such students study extremely poorly, gaining only 51 points for the relative entrance exam. Most students are forced to retake the exams several times, which delays the educational process and prevents other people who are getting an education at the appropriate level from completing the exams.
- Military training. Some young men sought the opportunity to undergo military training even before being drafted, hoping that it would help them avoid mobilization. However, the new law introduced the concept of basic military training (BVP), which will replace conscription. The period of its passage can still be chosen independently, but it must happen before the person turns 25 years old. During the period of martial law, the BVP will last for three months (one month of basic general military training and two months of professional training). At the same time, those who continue their studies at universities, colleges, etc., or who are unfit due to their health, will receive a postponement.
Also, men studying in universities, vocational education institutions and military institutions must now undergo basic military training, which will be implemented from September 1, 2025. At the same time, the law establishes that those who have not passed the BVP will not be able to get a job in the public service or work in the prosecutor’s office, the police, or local self-government bodies.
- Postgraduate studies. Against the background of mobilization activities, a stormy admissions campaign for postgraduate studies was launched. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, in recent months there has been an increasing trend in the number of men entering postgraduate studies at higher educational institutions.
Government officials were interested in such a situation, because according to their data, it follows that about 246,189 people registered for the EVI, most of them (79%) were men. 91,561 people applied for admission to postgraduate studies, which was an extraordinary record compared to the pre-war period. As of January 1, 2022, 14,000 men (53% of those seeking education) studied at the postgraduate school. Already in 2023, their number increased by 8 thousand people (65%). 13,000 people were enrolled in postgraduate studies, and only 2,000 of them were women. Before the start of the full-scale war, only 7-8 thousand people enrolled in postgraduate studies. And in 2024, the number of applicants seeking to obtain a postgraduate degree has already increased to 246,000, of which 91,561 were men aged 25 to 60 who already had a master’s or specialist degree. At the same time, it is not known how the government was able to calculate their number, because those who wish to study at the master’s degree also submitted documents for the preparation of the EVI.
However, during the admission campaign and preparation of the EVI, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi did not officially, but in his post on Facebook, share information about the new rules for admission to graduate school in 2024:
- leaving the single entrance exam;
- the passing score will be 160 and is mandatory for the entrance exams of the educational institution;
- a foreign language is mandatory for admission to a master’s program, but not mandatory for admission to a postgraduate program;
- it is possible to enter into a contract for postgraduate studies only for correspondence or evening forms, which do not give the right to a postponement
- Ministry of Education made full-time education a priority, and the number of places in the budget increased from 3,200 to 7,000.
This decision closed the door for future graduate students, which will have a significant negative impact on Ukrainian science in the future.
Government measures to prevent mobilization evasion
So that education does not become a detour for people who do not want to fight, the government introduced new changes to the law on mobilization, according to which, as of July 1, 2024, three categories of students will be able to call up for military service:
- students studying by correspondence;
- persons obtaining second and third higher education at the same level or lower than the already available one.
According to current Ukrainian legislation, the following are not eligible for conscription during mobilization:
- applicants of professional, vocational-technical, professional pre-higher and higher education;
- trainee assistants, graduate students and doctoral students studying full-time or dual forms of education.
In addition, the transfer from part-time to full-time education within the postgraduate program will be prohibited. Only persons exempted from military service will be able to resume full-time studies.
At the same time, at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute named after Igor Sikorskyi found their own way to fight the “evaders” – they raised the prices for postgraduate studies. Rector of KPI Anatoliy Melnychenko conducted explanatory work with the heads of structural divisions and called for monitoring the scientific activity of post-graduate students who are subject to mobilization.
“Failure to fulfill the graduate student’s individual work plan, which consists of two parts (educational component and scientific component), leads to automatic deduction”. – said A. Melnychenko.
Implications for education
The introduction of new norms of the law on mobilization can have a significant negative impact on educational institutions and the educational process as a whole.
- Limitation of access to education determined by the norms of the Constitution and current legislation. In places where mobilization is taking place, there may be restrictions on education, including access to educational institutions that may be reallocated for military needs.
- Reduction in the number of entrants to higher educational institutions, which will negatively affect the educational potential of the state.
- Study breaks. Military mobilization will lead to a temporary suspension of students’ studies, which may disrupt the normal course of the academic process. This is especially important for students who are in the final stages of their education.
- Impact on funding and resources. The introduction of mobilization norms will affect financial resources — educational institutions will not be able to survive without the receipt of funds from contractors. Investments in the development of education and the infrastructure of educational institutions will also be limited.
- Loss of scientific personnel. Mobilization measures can lead to the loss of scientific personnel and specialists, who are important for the development of science and education in the country. Many teachers and scientists will be forced to resign, and future graduate students will never become them.
Therefore, the introduction of new norms of the law on mobilization can seriously complicate the educational process in Ukraine. The balance between the needs of defense and the preservation of the normal functioning of the educational system is extremely important for ensuring the stability and development of the country in the conditions of global instability.