In Ukraine, an educational reform in the style of “American films” is being introduced: what changes can students expect
The Ministry of Education promises that Ukrainian students will be able to study like in an American movie, because this week the president signed the law on the course of individual education. According to this law, a student of higher education can first choose a field, and only then determine a specialty. Students will also have the option to earn a bachelor's degree sooner or longer and adjust the timing of their studies.
On April 23, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted draft law No. 10177 about individual educational trajectories and improvement of the educational process in higher educational institutions. 306 deputies voted for the adoption of this document.
The bill provides that students studying under a contract can choose their own pace of study. They will have the opportunity to complete a 4-year bachelor’s program in 3 years or combine higher education studies and work to complete the required 240 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits. An interdisciplinary educational program is also added, which allows students to change their specialization after the first year of study (or 1.5 years). This means that applicants can choose an interdisciplinary program within one or more fields of knowledge, and only later decide on a specialty to continue their studies. The number of optional subjects is also increasing, because the law will bring the Ukrainian higher education system closer to European standards. This will give universities greater autonomy and the ability to independently define the tools to achieve established standards in unregulated industries.
Jurisprudence, medicine, law enforcement and similar fields will receive new specific requirements for competencies and learning outcomes, and state qualification exams will also be held for them.
The Ministry of Education announced that in the coming months will be updated and higher education standards that will increase both selectivity and competition in universities. Teachers of innovative courses will get more opportunities, and students – better education.
All of these innovations expand opportunities for both universities and students. It is important to note that now students can choose not a specific specialty, but a broader educational field, implemented through interdisciplinary educational programs. For example, when choosing social sciences at the beginning of education, a student can make up his mind a year later and choose his specific specialty (psychology, political science, etc.) already after obtaining general knowledge in the first year.
In addition, students are allowed to choose the additional courses they wish to study. For example, a graduate student studying to become a political scientist may choose to take a course in criminal law or political psychology to expand their knowledge. Also, students are allowed to change their workload and duration of studies, which means the opportunity to obtain a bachelor’s degree in a shorter or, conversely, a longer period.
In general, all these reforms are aimed at improving the quality of education and developing innovations in the educational process of Ukraine. Educators and teachers who implement innovative courses will have more opportunities for creativity and development of their methods. Students will be given access to a more diverse set of courses, which will allow them to develop their interests and competencies more widely. These changes in higher education will contribute to the training of competitive specialists who will meet the needs of the labor market and modern requirements of society, and the expansion of opportunities for choice and flexibility of education will contribute to increasing the prestige of Ukrainian higher education both domestically and internationally. In the current academic year, entrants can also count on access to this draft law and elective courses, as this practice is already implemented in some universities of Ukraine.
It remains necessary to resolve the issue of students’ ability to choose the duration of their studies. This involves careful calculations on education financing issues, since payment should be made not for the period, but for the result – the acquired knowledge. The draft law will enter into force in three months, that is, in August, and for now, universities recommend applicants to concentrate as much as possible on the National Entrance Examination (NMT), which began this week. Also, the Ministry of Education has undertaken to facilitate the transition of higher education institutions in safer territories to full-time education as much as possible.
Therefore, the introduction of new legislative changes in the field of higher education in Ukraine opens wide opportunities for both students and teachers, as well as for educational institutions. They will contribute to greater flexibility in the educational process, ensuring quality training of future specialists, as well as the development of innovations and competitiveness of the education system as a whole. An important condition is the competent implementation of these changes in practice, taking into account financial, organizational and infrastructural aspects. Such a course of development has the potential to improve the quality of education and contribute to the further development of society in Ukraine.
