Money Follows the Student: Will Grants Help Solve the Problems of Higher Education Quality
The quality of higher education in Ukraine is causing more and more complaints both from the side of those who acquire it online or in classrooms, and from the position of those who devote all their resources to the fact that real specialists leave universities for professional life. By and large, the reasons for the deplorable state of education lie on the surface. The lack of funds for financing critical components of education, starting with the material base and ending with the teacher’s salary, leads to a significant gap between the expectations of the labor market and the capabilities of Ukrainian universities. Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykhailo Vinnytskyi, in particular, considers, that it is unrealistic to train a high-quality specialist for 25 thousand hryvnias per year. An applicant who enrolls in an educational program, which costs extremely little, actually just buys a diploma, because this document is not supported by real knowledge and competences. It is hard not to agree with this assessment of Vynnytskyi, because for such funds, higher education institutions really cannot maintain a high standard of providing educational services. In the poorest countries of Europe, the cost of education is at least several thousand euros per year.
Infographic: IA “FACT”
Critically low level of tuition fees
If we talk about Ukraine, then the average cost of education here is one thousand euros, that is, about 46-47 thousand hryvnias per year. This level of tariffs causes a very low salary for the teacher, who loses motivation to improve and constantly update the educational material he teaches. It’s no secret that in conditions of lack of money, teachers are forced to work at several jobs at the same time, so they simply don’t have time to update the achievements they have to share with students.
Increasing tuition fees – this way of improving the situation in higher education is probably also not the best solution in the context of education affordability. After all, high tariffs can limit the opportunity to study for students from low-income families. And for those who have the opportunity to pay enough, a completely fair question may arise: why spend a lot of money on a child’s education in Ukraine, if it can be done in a stable and safe Europe?
An attempt was made to resolve the stalemate in the higher education system with the help of grants. This experience is not new for the field of education. European universities have long offered a wide range of grants and scholarships to support students, especially those in financial need or with high academic achievements. Ukrainians involved in the academic environment, in particular, know the Erasmus Mundus Program. This initiative is funded by the European Commission and allows students to study at several European universities, receiving a joint or multiple degree. The program covers tuition, travel, visas and a monthly stipend. The main focus is on master’s programs, which last 1-2 years. Students can apply for full funding directly to participating universities. Some European universities also have their own grant programs. For example, universities in Germany often offer scholarships through the DAAD fund, and in Belgium there is a Master Mind program aimed at supporting master’s students
Many EU countries, such as Hungary (the famous Stipendium Hungaricum program), Sweden, Ireland, Austria and the Czech Republic, also provide scholarships for international students. These programs usually cover tuition, housing and living expenses. For example, the Swedish program focuses on masters and finances more than 200 students annually. The experience is completely positive, but for Ukrainian students who need financial support, this is more the exception than the rule. Some of them are able to win European scholarships.
Therefore, it is quite logical that the experience of the EU led to the fact that Ukraine introduced its own system of grant support for the most capable students this year.
Was the MES pilot project successful?
Since the idea was implemented quickly enough, not all potential entrants received enough information to respond to new opportunities in time. The regularity is simple – you study well, get a high NMT score, get the opportunity to cover a significant percentage of the costs of education. As a result, you do not go to the place where the budget was promised despite the unprestigious profession, but you enroll in exactly the educational program that you like.
This year, applicants applied for different amounts of grants depending on the results of the national multimedia test. Those who scored more than 150 points in two subjects received a grant in the amount of UAH 15,000. Entrants with results of 170 points or more received grants of UAH 25,000 or more. These funds will be transferred to students every year to a special account in the “Diya” application for the entire period of study.
For in words Mykhailo Vynnytskyi’s pilot project worked effectively, illustrating exactly this pattern. This is evidenced by the numbers: 4,000 out of 66,000 people are those entrants who received an invitation to the budget, that is, in fact, for full financing of their higher education, but refused this financing and went to another institution of higher education, having obtained a grant. It is interesting that 400 entrants out of these 4,000 people recommended for the budget ended up going to expensive private universities, taking advantage of grant support. In particular, they entered the Ukrainian Catholic University, where there is no budgetary recruitment at all, but there is an excellent basis for obtaining a quality education.
Support for private universities?
Of course, there are criticisms and complaints that this is how the state supports the private sector in education. However, the MES does not see a problem in the fact that the strongest private universities gain support. Instead, applicants with the lowest scores go to the weak ones. “Money follows the student” is a new philosophy of the higher education system, which gives the applicant the right to choose. He is not a budget employee or a contract employee. He has a greater corridor of possibilities if the points obtained on the NMT allow him to use state grant funds. In addition, commenting on the idea of the pilot project, Minister of Education Oksen Lisovyi explained, that the state allocated funds not directly to the universities, but to the students themselves. Thanks to this, students were able to use this money to pay for the chosen educational institution, and if they decide to change universities, they can transfer their funds to another institution, unlike the traditional state order, which does not provide such flexibility.
Grants play a significant role in the fate of entrants of preferential categories. There are currently about 15% of such in Ukraine. The number is considerable, and it means that the state cannot provide every child whose father serves in the Armed Forces, a budget place. In addition, the approach is unfair, according to which beneficiaries have to enroll in unprestigious or undesirable educational programs just because they are offered a budget there. Therefore, the provision of grant support is an opportunity for the state to fulfill its obligation to the entrant-beneficiary, if he did not receive a budget place. It is significant that 91% of people in the 15-17 age group support the idea of providing grants for co-financing higher education.
Infographic: IA “FACT”
High demand – a significant volume of grants
This year, more than 16,000 students received study grants. The state will allocate about UAH 350 million to cover these costs during the next academic year.
The specialty “Psychology” collected the most grants. It gained popularity in Ukraine with the start of the full-scale invasion, reflecting society’s desire to have psychological self-help skills in conditions of increased stress and danger, causing depressive states.
The second place was taken by the specialties of the IT group – computer science, software engineering, cyber security, and applied mathematics. The demand for these specialties is also understandable. As technology advances, most industries are going digital, requiring more professionals capable of maintaining, building, and improving digital infrastructure. IT specialists often have the opportunity to work remotely or freely choose projects, which attracts new specialists. According to the data of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, almost 60% of entrants to IT specialties received state support in the form of budgetary places or grants for training.
At the same time, only about 30% of entrants to the “Law” specialty received a state order or grant. This indicates a limited number of budget places for this specialty. At the same time, a significant number of capable entrants enroll in a contract form of education and receive grant support from the state.
Medical specialties and pedagogy also received support this year.
Next year, the MES promises, priority will be given to the agrarian sphere. Grant support for capable students is planned to be continued.
Therefore, the grants introduced in Ukraine provide, first of all, support for students. They help them cover their education costs and choose a major based on interest, not just affordability. However, this project does not solve all the problems of higher education, because it is not aimed at improving working conditions and motivating teachers, who continue to face low pay and a lack of resources for quality teaching. Grants are an important step towards making education more accessible, but systemic investment in universities and their infrastructure is required for dramatic change.
