Ukraine’s Ministry of Education, Science, Youth and Sports on July 8 took aim at one of the nation’s most respected universities, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. Other progressive educational institutions also came in for cuts in the government’s budget next year.
The proposed budget slashes funding by 43 percent to 50 percent for several Kyiv Mohyla departments, including philosophy, economic theory, finance and the law school. It also terminates stipends for students in journalism and social work in the master’s programs.
Kyiv Mohyla Academy was singled out for particularly harsh treatment. University president Serhiy Kvit said “we are troubled by the actions of the ministry and their impact on the education of our country’s young generation.”
Kyiv Mohyla’s Alumni Association declared support for its alma mater by announcing a stipend program and scholarships to compensate for the cuts to the master’s programs.
The proposed budget cuts in higher education are controversial in several respects.
The question must be asked whether the education minister is pursuing a policy of crippling opposition by weakening those who want to accelerate Ukraine’s transition into a democratic, transparent nation with a participatory civil society.
First, higher education appears singled out for the lion’s share of government spending cuts.
While government announced reductions to its national budget for education, it increased expenditures for government officials dramatically, especially in law enforcement, security service and public prosecutors.
Second, the proposed cuts have not been uniformly applied to all of the country’s universities. Although most Ukrainian universities had their budgets reduced, funding for Kyiv Mohyla Academy and the universities in western Ukraine was cut back disproportionately.
In addition, deeper budget cuts were targeted at Kyiv Mohyla Academy’s specific fields of study.
An analysis of law school funding by Andriy Meleshevych, dean at Kyiv Mohyla Law School, shows that law schools in western Ukraine had disproportionally high cuts while law schools in the Donetsk region had increases for the same programs.
At the same time, budgets for law departments of both universities in the Donetsk region rose significantly.
Mariupol State Humanitarian University increased by 28 percent and Donetsk National University’s law budget increased by 12 percent. By contrast, Kyiv Mohyla Law School’s budget for the upcoming academic year was reduced by 50 percent.
Interestingly, appropriations for some other universities actually increased. For example, the National Aviation University and Donetsk National University enjoyed an increase in government support.
In 2010, the country witnessed the introduction of a controversial law that would have rolled back advances in higher education, returning to a discredited Soviet-era model of central government control.
The proposed draft law presented a threat to the gradual gains forged in the essential areas of autonomy and academic freedom since the nation’s independence in 1991. Eventually, the proposed “reform” law was defeated.
But new proposals to erode these fundamental rights in education may be forthcoming, as government attempts to regain control of higher education under the
guise of economic necessity.
Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk has a long history of derogatory statements about Ukraine’s people, language and culture, often aimed at western Ukrainians. Tabachnyk plays a divisive role and his record speaks for itself.
A weakened higher education system reduces Ukraine’s global competitiveness, impedes the development of future leaders and puts Ukraine within the isolationist, controlled sphere of influence of the country’s neighbor to the east.
Access to education at top universities and western Ukrainian universities was significantly reduced over the past year. Government financing of schools with lower admission standards increased.
Corruption is at pandemic levels in higher education institutions throughout Ukraine.
Based on the Education Ministry’s selective funding choices, it is reasonable to infer a deliberate policy to weaken the system of higher education.
A weakened higher education system reduces Ukraine’s global competitiveness, impedes the development of future leaders and puts Ukraine within the isolationist, controlled sphere of influence of the country’s neighbor to the east.
Ironically, it was President Viktor Yanukovych who declared 2011 as the “Year of Education.” If those words were not merely a verbal “Potemkin Village,” then there are steps the president should take to achieve his stated goals.
It is time to heed the call of the recent Freedom House report, “Sounding the Alarm: Protecting Democracy in Ukraine,” that issued the following recommendation to Yanukovych: “Dismiss Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk, arguably the most polarizing official in the Cabinet, for sowing unnecessary and dangerous divisions within Ukraine over issues of identity, language, and education.”
The question must be asked whether the education minister is pursuing a policy of crippling opposition by weakening those who want to accelerate Ukraine’s transition into a democratic, transparent nation with a participatory civil society.
In spite of the recent financial pressure, Kyiv Mohyla Academy continues to fulfill its mission and educate Ukraine’s future generations of leaders. But it needs equitable treatment by the Education Ministry and increased private funding.
With the support of friends, donors and grantors in Ukraine and throughout the world, Kyiv Mohyla Academy has been able to rebuild itself after the fall of the Soviet Union. The achievements of its students, graduates and faculty are a testament to the university’s role in leading educational reforms and Ukraine’s integration with the world.
The current conflict has become a topic of national discussion over fundamental principles of freedom, equal access to education and national reform. Kyiv Mohyla Academy is in a position to continue providing leadership. Equitable and transparent reform must take place and Kyiv Mohyla Academy can play an indispensible role in this process.
Marta Farion is an attorney living in Chicago, Illinois. She is the president of Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide assistance to National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. She served as chairperson of the Chicago-Kyiv Sister Cities Committee for 13 years and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Mayor’s Office of International Relations – Sister Cities International Program.
