Blog: Modernization of higher education in Ukraine: vision and priority steps

The Ministry of Education and Science, as part of the modernization of Ukrainian higher education institutions, has announced plans to train about 1,000 middle managers in modern university management methods. The initiative will be implemented within the framework of the joint project with the World Bank “Improving Higher Education for Results”. And if we talk about the quality of management, I would really like all project participants to have their own vision of what higher education in Ukraine should be like. To adopt not only best practices, but also look ahead, because in fact these are the specialists who will very soon form and implement state policy in the field of higher education.

So today – about my vision of the first steps in the modernization of higher education in the near future (in addition to what the Ministry of Education and Science is already implementing).

Form and content of higher education

Sir Winston Churchill, speaking at a meeting of the House of Lords in October 1943, said: “We shape our buildings, and then they shape us.” This is a phrase from his speech, which was dedicated to the need to rebuild the House, which was almost destroyed during the bombing in 1941. Thus he demanded that the House be rebuilt in the same style as before, apparently having in mind the centuries-old traditions and atmosphere of British parliamentarism.

From the point of view of philosophy, the dialectical concepts of “form” and “content”, although they reflect different aspects of the same object (form is meaningful, and content is formed), are inextricably linked. Form organizes content, and content determines form.

All of the above can be applied in the context of the modernization of higher education in Ukraine.

I am not an architect or a designer by education, but during my teaching career I visited several dozen educational institutions in European countries. What I immediately paid attention to was the space (read – form). These are mostly large and small, but well-lit classrooms, many coworking spaces, open spaces, territories, green zones – in fact, everything that can be called public space. Very often, instead of blank walls of classrooms, there is glass. In fact, this is a through space with several entrances and exits. Of course, in our realities, this is quite difficult to realize, because, unfortunately, we all know about the “two-wall rule” and the danger posed by glass fragments during explosions. But we definitely need to think about this during the post-war reconstruction of universities.

As for the content of higher education, it is defined in the relevant law, which defines it as “a set of systematized knowledge, skills and practical abilities, ways of thinking, professional, worldview and civic qualities, moral and ethical values, and other competencies.” And all this is aimed at “preparing competitive human capital for the high-tech and innovative development of the country, self-realization of the individual, and meeting the needs of society, the labor market, and state institutions in qualified specialists.”

We will definitely win, but today we must think about how, while preserving our own educational traditions, to modernize Ukrainian higher education according to the best European and world standards – both in form and content.

Form

Safety is a priority

Ensuring the public is safe during airstrikes is the most important aspect. What do we have in the legislative field in this regard?

The fundamental document is the Civil Protection Code of Ukraine, which has been in force since 2013. It “regulates relations related to the protection of the population, territories, the environment and property from emergencies, fires and other dangerous events”. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the Code underwent significant changes and today it contains the main requirements for shelters (construction, maintenance, safety standards, decoration, etc.). Also, after February 2022, other legislative, regulatory and legal acts, recommendations related to the safety and protection of the population were adopted.

Several of them concern higher education institutions and participants in the educational process. In particular, for those higher education institutions where there are no civil defense facilities, in August 2024 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 926 “On the implementation of a pilot project on the creation of protected spaces (premises for physical protection) in buildings and structures of educational institutions.”

Another document is a letter from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine “On the organization of the 2024/2025 academic year in general secondary education institutions”. It was developed in accordance with the Methodology for assessing security risks in the education system related to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The letter itself states that storage spaces can be equipped in basements, ground floors and first floors (in exceptional situations) only in educational institutions located in territorial communities with a satisfactory and moderate level of security risk in the education system. However, the use of safe premises is a temporary solution and does not relieve the management of higher education institutions of the obligation to equip civil defense structures that comply with current legislation.

In one of my blogs, I already wrote that the physical protection of participants in the educational process should be a priority for educational institutions. Therefore, the primary task is to equip bomb shelters and shelters. Moreover, not only on the territory of the university itself, but also around the perimeter (transport stops, etc.).

As for bomb shelters for students and teachers, when arranging them, one should take into account the possibilities of training during air raids. And this means that there should be appropriate equipment, mobile communication, Wi-Fi, etc. I am not talking about electricity and water supply systems, drainage, air filtration systems, evacuation exits. One should also take into account such a factor as the design of the premises, because staying in a bomb shelter can be quite long and, accordingly, affect the emotional state of students and teachers.

In this context, I have great hopes that cooperation with Finland within the framework of the Civil Protection Coalition for the development of a system of modern shelters in Ukraine will be very useful for us. It was established at the initiative of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal in October 2024. And I would be very glad if a separate direction were created within this coalition that would concern the system of shelters for educational institutions.

But first of all, we must conduct a full audit of existing shelters and storage facilities at higher education institutions, identify and eliminate deficiencies, develop new projects for the construction of modern shelters, and ensure the proper functioning and support of existing structures.

We need an effective legal regulation system that will provide for increased liability for negligence in ensuring the safety of the population. After all, in almost three years of full-scale invasion, unfortunately, not all higher education institutions have improved their shelter and storage systems.

Libraries

Today we are in the process of transitioning to a new form of post-industrial society – an information society, where the main value and resource is knowledge. The demand for highly educated, qualified, initiative specialists has long been formed in society. It is precisely such that higher education institutions should prepare – this is their main task. Not only in Ukraine, but also throughout the world. To do this, it is necessary to mobilize global intellectual resources. And, in fact, with the help of the Internet (and now with the help of AI) this is really possible. Back in the early 2000s, the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) was formed. According to it, “open access is a means to ensure fairness, quality, usability and sustainability of research.” Open access is unlimited and free online access to the research of those scientists who have given their consent.

The text of the initiative clearly states: “The public good they make possible is the worldwide electronic distribution of peer-reviewed journals and completely free and unrestricted access to them by all scientists, scholars, teachers, students, and other interested parties.”

Given this, we should make the most of such initiatives and do so on the basis of university libraries, which, unfortunately, students no longer visit so often.

So, libraries should turn into a space equipped like a co-working space, with upholstered furniture, coffee machines, vending machines, Internet access, etc. We need to get students interested in working in libraries, and this is possible. Creative meetings, conferences, competitions for the best recommendations for textbooks, scientific literature guides. With the development of social networks, libraries should have their own pages, where it is convenient to conduct various surveys, organize quests, etc.

In addition, higher education institutions should provide their students with access to world libraries, paid research databases, and leading world publications. And if budgets are limited, funds can be raised for this from charitable foundations, international projects, donors, and domestic businesses.

It is also important to pay attention to volunteering – students can help create file cabinets and catalogs, arrange books, help restore old publications. In fact, the field for activity here is very wide – it all depends on the imagination of the staff and the students themselves, who can also offer various activities.

Content

The triad “State-Business-University” is a successful model of interaction

Today’s realities are such that science and innovation are developing very quickly. And the state with its bureaucratic procedures does not always keep up with this process, unlike business, which is more flexible in this regard and instantly responds to new technologies and products.

It is very difficult to obtain the skills and knowledge necessary for the implementation and use of such technologies only through theoretical knowledge that a student receives at the university. And in order to know the needs of business, cooperation with it is very important, because it is for it that universities should prepare highly qualified personnel. It is extremely important that business and educators work here synchronously. The role of the state is to help create such connections, because the rapid transfer of technologies and innovations ultimately ensures its competitive advantage on the world stage. A parity and mutually beneficial partnership “State-Business-University” can and should become a catalyst for economic growth and development of the state.

How can this happen in practice? For example, business can finance/co-finance individual training programs related to its field of economic activity. Educational institutions, in turn, could invite practicing business specialists to lectures and seminars. Together, business and educators could participate in the development of curricula taking into account the requirements of employers for graduates, and they, in turn, would be more confident in their future employment. In this way, the student is given a clear guideline, which will definitely encourage him to make greater efforts in studying specific disciplines.

In some countries, there is a profession of career advisor – a specialist who helps high school students and students determine their career goals. For high school students, they conduct tests to determine their interests and skills and based on this, they can suggest a direction for a future profession, talk about effective study habits, and teach how to organize their time. For students who have already actually chosen their future profession, such specialists can give advice on how to prepare for an interview, talk about job fairs, and even establish contacts with an employer. Of course, such consultants must have an appropriate license or be certified specialists. Another important detail is that they must have knowledge in the field of psychology. In our realities, when the majority of the population is in a negative psychological and emotional state, this is very important.

The practice of “open days” in higher education institutions has already proven its effectiveness, however, it needs to be significantly expanded – to make excursions for applicants and schoolchildren more frequent and more meaningful – to introduce them to the history of the university, to organize communication not only with teachers, but also with students. I also see the idea of ​​inviting representatives of government bodies, local governments, experts and, what is very important, business to such meetings as constructive. This way, visitors will better understand not only the state policy regarding the industry they have chosen, but will also hear from business representatives about the prospects of the profession, get answers to their questions, and get acquainted with success stories that will inspire them.

GR and expertise

Higher education institutions, both public and private, should pay attention to Government Relations. A high-quality dialogue with government authorities will only contribute to the development of higher education institutions and help the state better understand the problems in the field of education. This will also help universities develop their expert potential for effective resolution of existing issues and evolutionary development.

In general, such work can become a separate direction in the distribution of functional responsibilities between the management of a higher education institution. And here it is worth thinking about introducing a separate position of vice-rector (or deputy director or dean) for GR issues. Together they could improve the creation of a separate expert network that includes leading specialists in the industry and already at the level of an advisory body to provide advice to authorities, local governments on a particular issue. For example, in understanding the needs of the labor market, in the development of legislative or regulatory legal acts, etc.

This would also, to a large extent, contribute to the formation of the image of our universities as expert institutions. Today, when in the media space one can observe literally hundreds of “experts” on literally all issues, people are literally lost and do not know who to trust. And all this is happening against the backdrop of an insane amount of fake and unverified information. High-quality expertise from higher education institutions and their representatives could also contribute to the “cleansing” of the media space from pseudo-experts.

Artificial intelligence

I wrote in more detail about the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in a previous blog, so I will dwell very briefly on this aspect. Already today, AI is significantly changing the paradigm of learning, teaching, and administrative processes in higher education institutions. The rapid development of information technologies determines the penetration of AI into the schemes of the educational process. There is no doubt that AI is the future, but in addition to the positive effect, it carries certain threats associated, for example, with academic integrity.

The possibilities of AI are very wide and today we do not even suspect about some of them. However, it is already clear that the correct use of AI technology increases the inclusiveness of education, helps in assessing the knowledge and skills of students, improves the quality of the educational process and can help in predicting the effectiveness of learning. It is important when using it in the field of higher education to be guided, at least, by UNESCO recommendations regarding ethical aspects.

Given the above, I can say that I am not alone in my vision. In general, I see efforts from the authorities to change approaches to education (from school to higher education), and recently the messages have been very encouraging. And when the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov says that “Ukraine needs education that will adapt to market challenges, quickly integrate ChatGPT, Cloud AI and other technologies,” the Ministry of Education and Science is also very actively promoting ideas for reforming higher education and, thus, working in unison. So, I am convinced that a consensus will definitely be found, which means that there will be a result. Definitely positive!

As in the case of the separate position of Vice-Rector for Government Relations, it would be worth following the example of our authorities and introducing a position responsible for digital transformation and AI implementation in universities. The positions of Chief Digital Transformation Officers (CDTOs) were introduced in government bodies back in 2020. Literally one of the latest examples is the Ministry of Economy, where in September last year the Deputy Minister for Digitalization, Oleksandr Tsybort, appeared, who, by the way, came from business. From now on, the positions of deputies responsible for digital development, digital transformation, and digitalization have been filled in all central executive bodies.

In fact, the scope of work on reforming the higher education system in Ukraine is enormous and requires much more steps than I mentioned. The main thing is that in this process we must be guided by the principle of Build Back Better. We need high-quality, accessible education that will ensure the competence of future specialists, those who will rebuild and develop Ukraine, those who will realize the dream of many Ukrainians about a civilized, legal, economically developed state. And the question is not only about those students who are currently studying at Ukrainian universities and institutes. Modernized higher education is what will help us return those students who are abroad.

And I am very much counting on cooperation in this matter with the National Unity Agency established on January 24 of this year, because its functions also include coordinating student networks and stimulating the return of citizens to Ukraine. The effectiveness in these areas will largely depend on active cooperation between higher education institutions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian embassies, and the diaspora. Here, systematic work is needed to explain the modern features of education, popularize Ukrainian universities, and provide assistance from the state in returning applicants and students to Ukraine.

Source: Інтерфакс-Україна