Odesa Medical University is merged with the Academy of Food Technologies: the absurd strategy of the Ministry of Education and Science to destroy universities continues
Higher education in Ukraine is on the brink of a systemic crisis, and it is not just a question of the budget or management reforms. The problems have been accumulating for years, and today we are faced with the results: outdated programs, low quality teaching and a lack of real career opportunities for graduates. It is no coincidence that more and more students are looking for alternatives abroad, and universities are losing their reputation not only due to financial difficulties, but also due to the lack of innovation in the educational process. However, instead of looking for the root of the problems, specialists from the Ministry of Education and Science began to quickly reduce “redundant” institutions, covering such actions with loud slogans about “creating a more powerful resource base and improving the competitiveness of universities in Europe.”
Reductions in higher education are gaining momentum
On April 8, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykhailo Vinnytskyi visited Odesa in order to agree on the project of the Ministry of Education and Culture regarding the merger of Odesa Medical University with the Food Academy. For him, the diversity of the country’s higher education institutions looks like only a “Soviet vestige”, and if they are reduced, students will have more opportunities to take advantage of the wide selection of disciplines that a classical university can offer. Later, according to the plan of the officials of the Ministry of Education and Culture, students will have the opportunity to focus on the medical faculty and engage in in-depth practical training in their specialization. That is why the Ministry of Education and Science targeted for the liquidation of 15 such universities in Ukraine. So, healthy nutrition will now be under the supervision of doctors — Odesa, to treat and feed at once. Finally, students will know how to properly cook borscht and how to reanimate it later.
In addition, the Ministry of Education and Science, under the leadership of Oksen Lisovoy, set an ambitious goal: to reduce the number of state universities to 100 before Ukraine joins the European Union. It sounds like a plan for years, but in fact, 10 educational institutions were closed in one year. One gets the impression that under the guise of a major reform lies a banal attempt to remove “unnecessary” universities from the field of view in order to look better against the background of European requirements. And the main thing is to completely destroy higher education.
We are told that all these reductions are due to the consolidation of higher education institutions in order to create stronger educational structures capable of competing at the European level. However, these are nothing but beautiful words. In fact, in addition to optimization and unification, some universities cannot cope with financial problems and simply disappear as separate institutions. No, this is not a saving of funds, as the officials try to assure, but a banal degradation of universities, which have no chance of existence in conditions where they are not given the opportunity to develop.
Officials claim that the rights of students and teachers are always protected by them, but it is hardly possible to talk about the protection of rights when it comes to the merger of universities, where students and teachers are often just extras in a huge bureaucratic game. There is no protection of interests when faculties are closed, opportunities for practical training are reduced, and students become part of an incomprehensible administrative reorganization.
And here is another interesting moment: at a time when Minister Oksen Lisovyi and his numerous team of 30 advisers are carrying out “logical” mergers in their opinion, such as the merger of the Odessa Law Academy with the Odessa National University named after I. Mechnikov, don’t they forget that every such “logical” decision can lead to the loss of the identity and reputation of universities that have been creating their educational tradition for years? Of course, this is not only a question of economy – it is a question of the very essence of higher education, when universities will consolidate, higher education itself will turn into a conveyor belt, where there is no place for real ideas and intellectual freedom.
The MES likes to explain that the modernization of higher education directly depends on demographics. According to in words Deputy Minister Andrii Vynnytskyi, if 15 years ago in Ukraine, about 670,000 graduates graduated from schools, today there are almost twice as many – only 360,000. But if the demographic situation changes dramatically, the number of universities and their infrastructure remain almost unchanged. Previously, there were 6,400 students per university, but now there are only 3,400. This is direct evidence that the system does not keep up with changes in the labor market and educational needs.
At the same time, Vynnytskyi admits that the infrastructure of universities simply does not correspond to modern realities. If the number of school graduates will decrease to 250 thousand per year, then our entire educational system, built for 700-750 thousand students, will simply not make any sense. This is where the whole “logical” joining of universities begins: Odessa State Environmental University was joined to Odessa National University. And, of course, the same university, which has long had nothing to do with ecology, is now trying to “optimize” — without taking into account the real state of teaching and the quality of education. How can we talk about modernization when even teachers and specialties do not meet the requirements of the times?
The Ministry, of course, assures that it does not plan drastic changes. But in essence, each accession is simply a redirection of problems from one higher authority to another. Students and teachers will not lose their places, but no one will give a guarantee that this “harmonization” of programs and infusion of investments in the form of 1-1.5 million USD will solve all problems. They are ready to invest money, but the question is whether this money will really go to quality education or just a paper reorganization that covers real difficulties?
Problems hidden under modernization
Education reform in Ukraine is a fascinating story about how you can ride the swing of change for decades, depending on the vagaries of the political situation and the will of a few people. For ten years now, the reform seems to be gaining momentum, but it turns out that it can be “accelerated” only until the moment when the Minister of Education and the head of the specialized committee find a common language. In other cases, everything is slowed down as much as possible. This is the true face of our reform: lack of consistency, chaos and confusing steps.
One of the main points of this “modernization” is the idea of reducing the number of educational institutions to a minimum of 10,000 students. This will certainly make the education system more competitive. But the fate of higher education institutions that need fewer students, such as conservatories, was completely forgotten. As the MES said, it makes no sense to attach the conservatory to the university. But why should we create universities where “quantity won” and not “quality”? The decision to adapt the education system to the number of students is not only unrealistic, but also dangerous. Therefore, universities become factories for the mass production of diplomas, not intellectual leaders.
However, as the people say, “the forest is cut down – wood chips fly.” And behind the scenes of this “optimization” we do not notice the obvious degradation of the very foundations of higher education. Opportunities for the development of scientific potential are lost, access to quality education becomes limited, and future specialists are forced to seek a chance for professional development in conditions where higher education can no longer be a guarantee of success.
Another ambitious idea from the Ministry of Education and Culture is to make education purely market-based, where students and teachers should be subjectively responsible for their choices and future. Instead of a clearly structured study program, the student will choose his subjects and determine his own trajectory. In theory, it is interesting, but in reality it turns into a chaotic market of subjects, where competition between teachers becomes a struggle for access to the student, and not for the depth of knowledge. A graduate who chose according to the principle of “what is cheaper” will not have an education, but a bunch of diplomas and coursework that will not secure him a place on the labor market. And instead of worthy specialists, we will get inexperienced graduates.
The position of the business, whose representatives talk about the lack of specialists, looks especially interesting. Currently, even a large taxpayer cannot find the necessary specialists in a country where universities produce people whom business does not need. The labor market and the education system are completely disconnected, and it has long ceased to be a problem of only one industry. We get an educational machine that only simulates the training of personnel, and does not create them.
After all, the reform of master’s degrees, postgraduate studies and scientific activity has become another problem that looks only on paper. Abandoning the degree of candidate of sciences and introducing a doctor of philosophy sounds like a very progressive idea, but reality is far from ready for such changes. The number of applicants who want to enter master’s and postgraduate studies has increased many times, but this does not indicate the development of scientific activity. This is more like an attempt to solve the problem of the number of scientists than their quality. As a result, graduate school turns into a meaningless mechanism to maintain the status quo, where most young scientists are forced to do work for professors instead of working on real scientific projects.
Instead of creating an effective system that works in the best interests of students, faculty, and society, we get an attempt to force superficial changes that don’t serve their purpose. The reform of higher education is not just delayed – it is degrading under the pressure of political decisions, inconsistent reforms and the lack of real dialogue with all interested parties. As a result, we end up with a lack of specificity, chaos in program requirements, and graduates who are not ready for real life.
And here is the culmination: instead of real reforms that should change the very nature of education, we are faced with a shameful reality where the system simply adapts to the requirements dictated by the ministry. Universities are trying to keep up with the demands of the mess that creates new standards, but again, to the detriment of real knowledge. So it turns out that graduates who do not possess them, but have diplomas, are the result of the “reforms” of the Ministry of Education and Culture. At the same time, teachers who try to hold on to their positions at any cost lower the bar so as not to lose students. So, an educational process takes place in which a diploma turns into a mere piece of paper that is worthless in the labor market.
The system of higher education of Ukraine in the conditions of war
Of course, talking about the problems of higher education in a time of war is like trying to figure out an ever-changing puzzle. Especially when it comes to universities, where, in addition to the general security situation, the destruction of educational buildings, the destruction of dormitories and students scattered around the world are added. And although the base regions, which were the main ones for the recruitment of applicants, were either on the line of fire or under occupation, there are still moments when the positive experience of online education during the covid pandemic allows to preserve the quality of education. This includes access to library resources, the use of synchronous and asynchronous approaches, and, of course, highly qualified teachers who, in the face of limitations, managed to adapt and ensure the appropriate level of the educational process.
The system of higher education in Ukraine was able to quickly adapt to the conditions of the war, and although there are enough problems, the country already has certain developments that allow maintaining the educational process even in extreme conditions. Undoubtedly, the impact of Covid-19 has accelerated the transition to online learning, allowing universities to quickly adjust to new realities. However, the war made its adjustments, and now an important problem is not only ensuring the continuity of education, but also the preservation and adaptation of universities to new challenges.
One of the greatest achievements is the ability to move higher education institutions and support teachers and students even in the most difficult conditions. In 2014, as a result of the occupation of part of the territories of Ukraine, we lost a significant part of educational institutions, in particular vocational colleges and technical schools. This time, however, it was possible to avoid such losses: the institutions of vocational pre-higher education were able to be relocated, which became an important step to ensure the educational process.
It is also worth noting two new admission systems for children from the temporarily occupied territories, which allows to significantly expand the opportunities for young people who found themselves in the difficult circumstances of the war. However, despite all these achievements, the education system faces a number of serious challenges. One of the biggest challenges is funding. In the conditions of war, where the majority of budget funds go to defense, it is difficult to talk about financial autonomy for universities. The Ministry of Finance, seeking to introduce financial autonomy, takes away funds, which complicates the situation.
Another painful issue is the reduction of scholarships, which affects the motivation of students to enter Ukrainian universities. Students are now forced to work to support themselves, and reduced funding for educational programs further undermines the incentive to study. This may lead to the fact that part of the youth will start looking for studies abroad, where the conditions may be more attractive.
Special attention should be paid to the issue of academic mobility. In the conditions of war, students have limited opportunities to study abroad, but at the same time, the refusal of academic mobility can lead to the loss of students’ interest in studying in Ukraine. It is necessary to create such conditions so that students have a choice between Ukrainian and international universities and decide for themselves where it is better to get an education.
Instead, officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science of Ukraine leave them with such a choice, reducing higher education. No less important is the problem of students who are currently at the front. They can’t continue their education fully because of the war, but at the same time, you can’t just give diplomas because someone fought. Therefore, it is important to find a balance between supporting students who defend the country and ensuring the appropriate level of education. In order to ensure the effective functioning of higher education, it is necessary to review many aspects, starting from financing and ending with the organization of the educational process, so that every student, regardless of the circumstances, has the opportunity to get a quality education and realize his potential.
But there is another huge problem in the higher education system – excessive regulation and dependence of universities on the Ministry of Education and Science. And not only in connection with security challenges, but also due to rare cases when scientific and educational processes are slowed down due to the incompetence of ministerial specialists. For example, the absurd implementation of the requirement to defend PhD theses at the stage of graduate studies. Someone who has never written a thesis is now dictating the rules, and this not only lowers the quality of science, but also creates huge obstacles for graduate students.
The existence of NAZYAVO is especially impressive, this structure, which is more like money for accreditation than a real mechanism for ensuring the quality of education. Instead of maintaining the quality of education in a crisis, this structure does not work in favor of educational institutions at all, but creates even more financial and administrative barriers and additional bureaucracy.
It should be understood that there are many problems, but the worst of them lies in the very system of “centralization” of higher education. This inhibits the development of universities and deprives them of the flexibility necessary to adapt to changing conditions. The system, where the ministry actually controls every step of the higher education institution, does not provide an opportunity for innovation and the development of true academic freedom. It is likely that decentralization and the development of competition between universities could solve the problem. In this case, students will be able to choose institutions that really prepare competitive specialists, and not just follow instructions from one center. This is the only way to preserve and develop higher education in Ukraine, even in times of crisis.
As we can see, the merger and reduction of higher education institutions is not just a saving of resources or optimization, but a signal of a much deeper problem that affects not only state finances, but also the very content of education. These so-called “optimizations” and reforms by the Ministry of Education and Culture are not a strategy, but a symptom of systemic disintegration. The merger of non-specialist institutions, such as a medical university and a food academy, indicates the absence of even an elementary understanding of the goals of higher education. Under the guise of economy, the university environment, which should be a space for development, scientific research and professional training, is being destroyed. The consequences for the country are obvious: the outflow of students abroad, the final degradation of regional universities, the loss of scientific schools and professional training, the transformation of education into a formality. All this is a direct investment in personnel vacuum and intellectual dependence in the near future.
