“Since 1918, we have absolutely consciously cultivated contempt for mental work”: Ella Libanova on education and demography in Ukraine

In modern Ukraine, the issues of demography, education and the labor market are becoming particularly relevant. War, mass migration, social transformations – all this affects the future of the country. Ella Libanova, a well-known scientist, director of the Mykhailo Ptukha Institute of Demography and Social Research, shared with their views on the challenges facing Ukraine in the field of demography and education.

“The school should be a place for children: their communication, development, socialization, and only then their acquisition of new knowledge. Please note that I did not put this in the first place, although it is extremely important. But when we start saying that every village should have a school, I want to cry. The question is not about money, it is not a question of the budget. As a demographer, I know that there are many villages and towns where there are very few children. These children, obviously, cannot receive a normal education there.

If the same teacher comes and reads geography and history, I have my doubts. And if it is chemistry and physics? But on the other hand, please pay attention to the results achieved by our children abroad. In 2023, there was a reverse process, migrants returned to Ukraine. The majority of them returned due to the fact that children of secondary school age were dissatisfied with the quality of education in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic.” Libanova said.

She emphasized that the school performs several important functions, and education is only one of them. It is important to provide space for the development and communication of children, which should become the basis for a high-quality educational process.

Speaking about the influence of demography on education, Libanova noted that the first challenge is the departure of a large number of young people abroad. According to her, “according to Eurostat, 4.3 million of our military migrants are officially registered in the countries of the European Union. Another 200-300 thousand are in Great Britain and a small part in Canada and the United States. It’s really not many, because it’s a long way to travel. That is, roughly speaking, 4.5 million. A third of military migrants are children and teenagers under the age of 18. That is, the contingent of those who study, decreased in Ukraine”.

She also drew attention to the fact that “70% of Ukrainian women – military migrants have a higher education. First, townspeople went, the lion’s share left in the first two weeks. They mostly left Kyiv and Kharkiv – the cities with the most educated population. And you understand that the general level of education of the population has now decreased precisely because of migration.

“The Poles say that, if we take those who are actually able to work – that is, women of working age with the exception of those who have small children and sick family members – more than 80%. If we look at the Eurostat data on the number of unemployed, then according to my calculations, the unemployment rate of our women is 18%. They work largely outside of their specialty, but they do work. They do not give us German data.

There is a labor market. There is a registered segment in it, and there is an unregistered one. Moreover, this does not necessarily apply to illegal employment. If a person does not have a job, he has three ways. The first is that she goes to the employment center and registers. She falls into these same percentages. The second way is that she does not go to the employment center, but looks for a job on her own. The third – she does nothing and sits without work. When we talk about 80%, we are talking about registered unemployment. These are employment center statistics. Will the man run to register at the employment center today?”, – noted the expert.

Speaking about the shortage of personnel in education, Libanova noted that the state will not have to attract foreign specialists. She emphasized that “it will be necessary to introduce various forms of education. It will be necessary to unite schools – a school with 10-12 students is an abnormal level of education.

Regarding the opinion that “there is no school – there is no village”, Libanova categorically disagreed:

“When they say that ‘no school – no village’, it is not true. In fact, ‘no work – no village’. What is the school for? Let’s answer ourselves honestly. So that the children get an education? So that the teachers have a job? Or so that there is a place for communication?”.

Commenting on the situation with the education of Ukrainian children abroad, Libanova noted that in 2023 a reverse process was observed – migrants returned to Ukraine. Most of them returned because children of secondary school age were dissatisfied with the quality of education in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Libanova also emphasized the importance of understanding the difference between education and skills:

“In my deep conviction, education is important for a person, and skill is important for the labor market. And this is a huge difference. And PISA is focused on skill, it does not check education. If we are talking about skill, then we do not need anyone, except for sales managers. For me, human development is critically important, and this, above all, is education.”

Speaking about the future of education, Libanova expressed the opinion that teachers should focus on the development of children’s ability to analyze, think logically and critically evaluate information.

“School should fulfill an educational function, but it should not replace parents. I was taught that there are things that are passed on with mother’s milk, and it is up to the family: how to treat older people, how to treat one’s responsibilities, how to love – this is the family; how to behave in society, how to play in a team – this is school.”

She also emphasized the need to create hubs for teaching children Ukrainian subjects abroad:

“I am now trying to convey to Chernyshov (Olexii Chernyshov – Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine – Minister of National Unity of Ukraine – ed.) to his entourage the idea of ​​using educational and medical potential. The Ministry is currently aiming to create hubs for our military migrants – there should be several of them in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Britain and other countries. And these hubs will provide, first of all, public services – this consular, passport.

It is very important that children can learn Ukrainian language, literature and history there, that is, to preserve their Ukrainianness. Because I don’t really like the idea of ​​our children studying there in an online school, the children can’t stand this load. But studying there in Sunday school is a great opportunity and you can do it through hubs. And it seems to me that it would be desirable to include our female teachers in these hubs. The Poles and Germans greatly simplified the Nostrification procedure, and the Poles practically eliminated it for doctors.”

Libanova emphasized that solving demographic and educational problems requires a comprehensive approach, attention to each element of the system and support from the state.

“For me, human development is critically important, and this, first of all, is education. If we want to do something, we must first of all influence the psychology of teachers. And, by the way, the most important thing is not language, but consciousness. I know so many soldiers who cannot connect three words in the Ukrainian language, but fight for Ukraine from the first day and give their lives for it. So what is more important for us?

A study by “Osvitoria” and the FAMA agency states that more than 40% of teachers are determined to leave the profession by 2030. This applies not only to teachers, but also to doctors, scientists, and intellectual workers. In our country since 1918, disdain for mental work has been cultivated quite consciously

And this could not but affect the psychology of a significant number of people as a result. For example, that a cook can lead a state, that a revolution does not need mathematicians – this is me talking about the French revolution. The salary in labor professions was set many times higher than that of an engineer at the same plant, and this is wrong. It was a fundamental mistake. We laid it down and accordingly lowered the bar of those who went there, it cannot be quickly fixed. We believe that two-week courses in Truskavets for deputies are enough for them to become specialists in economics. Thank God, there is no such thing in the government,” the expert believes.

Thus, Ella Libanova emphasizes that for the recovery of the country it is important not only to return migrants, but also to create conditions for preserving cultural identity, developing quality education and forming a responsible attitude towards the future.