The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine proposed to start the process of privatization of state universities and their property. The relevant provisions are contained in the draft law “On the state budget for 2025”. About this reported Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation Serhiy Babak (“Servant of the People”) in his Telegram.
“In the draft of the state budget for 2025, the government laid down a rule in the final provisions, which suspends the following for 2025:
- regulations on the prohibition of privatization of state institutions of higher education in the Law “On Education”
- regulations on the prohibition of privatization of the premises of state institutions of higher education in the law “On the privatization of state and communal property”, – said the deputy.
This initiative caused lively discussion among the members of the Committee on Education, Science and Innovation.
Earlier, the Ministry of Education and Science declared the need to reduce the number of universities in connection with the decrease in the number of school graduates. There are currently about 170 public universities in Ukraine, excluding branches, in addition to 100 private and 40 communal institutions. The MES believes that the optimal number of state higher education institutions should not exceed 100.
The proposal to privatize public universities may be a step towards streamlining the higher education system, but it has already caused controversy among educators and politicians.
