Starting in September 2018, 12-year secondary education will replace 11-year which was mandatory before that.Beyond the scandal: what is Ukraine’s new education law really about?
/ref> As a rule, schooling begins at the age of 6, unless your birthday is on or after 1 September. In 2016/17 the number of students in primary and secondary school reached 3,846,000, in vocational school 285,800, and in higher education 1,586,700 students. According to 2017 EduConf speech of the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine,

Liliya Hrynevych Liliia Mykhailivna Hrynevych ( uk, Лілія Михайлівна Гриневич, born 13 May 1965) The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Ukraine is fulfilling 84.2% of what they should be fulfilling on the right to education, based on their level of income.

Ukrainian educational system

The Ukrainian educational system is organized into five levels: preschool, primary, secondary, upper secondary and postgraduate education. In 2010 a total of 56% of children aged one to six years old had the opportunity to attend

preschool education A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

, the Education and Science Ministry of Ukraine reported in August 2010. Schools receive 50% of their funding from the

city budget A government budget is a document prepared by the government and/or other political entity presenting its anticipated tax revenues (Inheritance tax, income tax, corporation tax, import taxes) and proposed spending/expenditure (Healthcare, Educa ...

and 50% from the national

Government budget A government budget is a document prepared by the government and/or other political entity presenting its anticipated tax revenues (Inheritance tax, income tax, corporation tax, import taxes) and proposed spending/expenditure (Healthcare, Educa ...

. The

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ( uk, Кабінет Міністрів України, translit=Kabinet Ministriv Ukrainy; shortened to CabMin), commonly referred to as the Government of Ukraine ( uk, Уряд України, ''Uriad Ukrai ...

intends to give general education schools the option to independently manage the financial resources assigned from the state budget starting from 1 January 2010.

School level

Currently in Ukraine, school attendance is designated for children and teenagers from age 6 to 17. Ukraine has several types of general education institutions. Some schools may be

boarding schools A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

and named ''school-internat'' or ''lyceum-internat''. * ''Middle School of General Education'' (ZOSh) or ''Middle School'' * Lyceum (Technikum in the Soviet times) * Grammar school The institution is called ''Middle School of General Education'' (ZOSh) or simply ''Middle School,'' and usually combines primary and secondary levels of education. The system was first introduced in 1958 and included a 12-grade system, while in 1965 it was a 10-grade system. Most middle schools have all three levels of accreditation for General Education. Some remote schools have only two levels, which is the minimum requirement for all middle schools. Primary and secondary education is divided into three levels of accreditation of general education: I - "younger", II - "middle", and III - "senior". Level 1 comprises grades 1 to 4. Grades 5-9 are usually considered a II level of accreditation or a base secondary education, while 10-12 are a III level. Despite the names, students usually study in the same school throughout their primary and secondary education.

Elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

ing lasts for 4 years,

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

for 5 and

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

for 3. The objective of general schooling is to give younger students knowledge of the arts and sciences, and teach them how to use it practically. The middle school curriculum includes classes in the

Ukrainian language Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state langu ...

Ukrainian Literature Ukrainian literature is literature written in the Ukrainian language. Ukrainian literature mostly developed under foreign domination over Ukrainian territories, foreign rule by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Poland, the Russian Empire, t ...

, a foreign language, world literature, Ukrainian history, world history,

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary a ...

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

, music, and art. At some schools, students also take environment and

civics Civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society. The term derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". The term relates to behavior affecting other citizens, particularly in the context of u ...

classes. Students attend each class only once or twice a week. Part of the school day is also spent in activities such as

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

, drama, learning folktales and folk songs, choir, and band. After school, students might also have music lessons, football, hockey, or tennis. 2013

During grades 9 and 12, which is usually around the age of 15 and 17, students take various exams. The current examination system is undergoing change. In grades 9 and 12 students take Independent Government Tests (IGTs), which allows eleventh graders to enter university without taking separate entrance exams. In 2008, entrance exams were abolished and the IGTs became the standard for determining entrance eligibility. However, the system was changed again in 2010. In

school year A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

2009-2010 potential graduates are scheduled to undergo external independent testing after the final state examination, in the following subjects:

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

history of Ukraine Prehistoric Ukraine, as a part of the Pontic steppe in Eastern Europe, played an important role in Eurasian cultural contacts, including the spread of the Chalcolithic, the Bronze Age, Indo-European migrations and the domestication of the horse ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

, and one foreign language (of the pupil's choice) in either

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, French, or

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. The results of the testing will have the same status as entrance examinations to institutions of higher education. But some universities can convert points in the external independent test certificate according to their own rating system. Since 2018, pre-higher education now lasts for 12 years. This means all students who entered grade 1 in 2018 will graduate after completing grade 12; however this does not apply to students who have completed grade 1 prior to 2018.

Home schooling

Educating children at home is legal in Ukraine and expressly allowed for in Articles 59 and 60 of Ukraine’s Education Law.

International schools

Meridian International School, Kyiv Meridian International School, established in 2001, is an international day school in Kyiv, Ukraine, catering for children from pre-school to the 11th grade. MIS is a member of Quality Schools International and the European Council of Internation ...

(est. 2001) * Kyiv International School (est. 1992) * French Lycee Anne of Kyiv (est. 1994) * British International School, Ukraine (est.1997 Nivki, 2011 Pechersk) *

Pechersk School International Pechersk School International (PSI) is a school located in Kyiv, Ukraine. It provides education ranging from the early childhood-level, to the end of the IB diploma-programme. PSI is a dynamic, diverse, not-for-profit international school community ...

University level (Post-secondary education)

Higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

is either state funded or private. Students who study at state expense receive a standard scholarship if their average marks at the end-of-term exams and differentiated test is at least 4 (see the 5-point grade system below); this rule may be different in some universities. In the case of all grades being the highest (5), the scholarship is increased by 25%. For most students the level of government subsidy is not sufficient to cover their basic living expenses. Most universities provide subsidized housing for out-of-city students. Also, it is common for libraries to supply required books for all registered students. There are two degrees conferred by Ukrainian universities: the bachelor's degree (4 years) and the master's degree (5–6th year). These degrees are introduced in accordance with Bologna process, in which Ukraine is taking part. Historically, Specialist's Degree (usually 5 years) is still also granted; it was the only degree awarded by universities in the Soviet times. Almost all major universities are located in oblast centers.

Postgraduate level

Upon obtaining a master's degree or Specialist, a student may enter a university or a scientific institute to pursue postgraduate education. The first level of postgraduate education is ''aspirantura'' that usually results in the ''Kandydat Nauk'' degree (

Candidate of Sciences Candidate of Sciences (russian: кандидат наук, translit=kandidat nauk) is the first of two doctoral level scientific degrees in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is formally classified as UNESCO's ISCED level 8, "do ...

). Candidates must pass three or more qualifying exams (one or more in the field of specialty, one in a foreign language of their choice and one in philosophy), publish at least five papers in peer reviewed journals (according to requirements existed up to 2013 they had to publish at least three papers), write a dissertation and defend it. This degree is roughly equivalent to the

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in the United States. After graduation a student may continue postgraduate education. This takes from two to four years of study in ''doctorantura''. Significant scientific results must be obtained and published, and a new thesis written. This produces a ''

Doctor Nauk Doctor of Sciences ( rus, доктор наук, p=ˈdoktər nɐˈuk, abbreviated д-р наук or д. н.; uk, доктор наук; bg, доктор на науките; be, доктар навук) is a higher doctoral degree in the Russi ...

'' degree (Doctor of Sciences), but the more typical way is working in a university or scientific institute with parallel preparation of a thesis. The average time between obtaining ''

Kandidat Candidate of Sciences (russian: кандидат наук, translit=kandidat nauk) is the first of two doctoral level scientific degrees in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is formally classified as UNESCO's ISCED level 8, "do ...

'' and ''Doctor'' degrees is roughly 10 years, and most of new ''Doctors'' are 40 and more years old. Only one of four ''Kandidats'' reaches this grade. ''Kandidat Nauk'' may keep the position Associate Professor in universities, or Researcher/Senior Researcher in scientific institutes. ''Doctor Nauk'' can hold position of full Professor, Head of Laboratory or an equal/higher positions. The Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science is considering changing the Soviet style ''Kandidat Nauk'' and ''Doctor Nauk'' degrees to Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor Habilitation, as has happened in several other post-Soviet countries.

Marks

Graduates in tertiary education-thousands

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

has a 99.4 literacy rate. Ukrainian universities use a traditional 5-point scale: *"5" = "excellent" *"4" = "good" *"3" = "satisfactory" *"2" = "unsatisfactory". "5", "4", "3" can be described as "Passed", "2" - as "Fail". Students who get a failing grade of "2", have two more chances to pass an examination. Since 2006 (and even earlier in some universities), university students are graded on a rating scale of 0 to 100. These grades can be transformed to the 5-point scale approximately as follows (this system may vary a little from university to university and may change from time to time): *from 90 to 100 means "5" —– A *from 74 to 89 means "4" —— B, C *from 60 to 73 means "3" —— D, E *from 0 to 59 means "2" —— F Both the rating scale and the 5-point scale are used in university registers. Some lecturers prefer to use A-F-point scale to rate students during their passing the exams. As for secondary schools, they also used the above-mentioned 5-point scale till 2000. Since 2000 secondary schools use a 12-point scale, which could be transformed into the traditional 5-point scale as follows: *"12" = "5+" *"11" = "5" *"10" = "5-" *"9" = "4+" *"8" = "4" *"7" = "4-" *"6" = "3+" *"5" = "3" *"4" = "3-" *"3" = "2+" *"2" = "2" *"1" = "2-" Here signs "+" and "-" denote respectively better and worse version of a mark, for example, "4-" means "somewhat worse than good".

Languages used in Educational Establishments

On 25 September 2017 a new law; the law "On Education" on education was signed by President Poroshenko (draft approved by Rada on 5 September 2017) which will make

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

the language of education from the fifth grade on. The law makes exceptions for one or more subjects that are allowed to be taught in two or more languages, namely

or one of the other

official languages of the European Union The European Union (EU) has 24 official languages, of which threeEnglish, French and Germanhave the higher status of "procedural" languages of the European Commission (whereas the European Parliament accepts all official languages as working la ...

, and allows any languages to be taught as separate subjects. The 2017 law stipulated a three-year transitional period,Про освіту
, від 05.09.2017 № 2145-VIII (Сторінка 1 з 7) later extended until 2023. The law was condemned by

PACE Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US * Pace Airlines, an American charter airline *Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

that called it "a major impediment to the teaching of national minorities". The law also faced criticism from officials in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. ( Hungarian and

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

are official languages of the European Union,

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

is not.) Ukrainian officials stressed that the new law complies fully with European norms on minority rights. The law does state that "Persons belonging to indigenous peoples of Ukraine are guaranteed the right to study in public facilities of preschool and primary education in the language of instruction of the respective indigenous people, along with the state language of instruction" in separate classes or groups. PACE describes this as a significant curtailing of the rights of indigenous peoples carried out without consultations with their representatives. On 27 June 2018 Ukrainian foreign minister

Pavlo Klimkin Pavlo Anatoliiovych Klimkin ( uk, Павло Анатолійович Клімкін; born 25 December 1967) is a Ukrainian diplomat who from 19 June 2014 until 29 August 2019 served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. A Moscow-educated p ...

stated that following the recommendation of the

Venice Commission The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin ...

the language provision of the (September 2017) law on education will not apply to private schools and that every public school for national minorities "will have broad powers to independently determine which classes will be taught in Ukrainian or their native language." Since the language of instruction in Ukrainian schools is the state language, which is Ukrainian (national minorities are guaranteed the right to study in public educational facilities including their language alongside Ukrainian). In 2000/2001

academic year An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study. School holiday School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...

, 70% of students attended Ukrainian-language schools (that is where

is the primary language of instruction), while 29% were studying in

Russian-language Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is one of four living Eas ...

schools. There are schools with instruction in

, Crimean Tatar, Hungarian, and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

in regions populated by those groups. Historically, the language of instruction has often changed in Ukraine. When Ukraine was part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, the Ukrainian language was proscribed, and Russian predominated among the elite, who had access to schools. The initial policies of the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

were supportive of local languages, and many Ukrainian-language schools were opened, with the long-term goal of getting rid of illiteracy. From the mid-1930s to the mid-1980s, the Soviet government policies favoured

Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...

. In the 1970s and 1980s, the number of Russian-language schools constantly increased at the expense of Ukrainian-language schools. After Ukraine obtained independence the trend was reversed. However, reintroduction of formal Ukrainian-language study has taken longer than expected. In some schools that have tried to switch to Ukrainian, part or most of the instruction is still given in Russian. In universities there are similar trends. In 1991/92

, according to the

Razumkov Centre Razumkov Centre ( uk, Центр Разумкова), or fully the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov ( uk, Український центр економічних і політичних дослі ...

, 49% of high school students were receiving their education in Ukrainian, and 50% in Russian.

Education of international students

is a popular destination for education among Asian and African students. There are more than 63,000 students from 130 countries of the world now. A lot of non-government companies try to help students from all over the world apply to one of the universities in Ukraine. An example of this is th
Ukrainian Educational Agency

During the 2022 Russian invasion

The education of about 5.5 million children was affected by the war with about 22 schools being attacked daily, per the Save the Children organization and official Ukrainian figures. A survey by the Ukrainian government estimated in June 2022 that 5.7 million school aged children aged between 3 and 18-years-old had been affected by the war and of those 2.8 million were displaced. In early April 2022, it was reported that at least 869 education facilities or about 6% of schools in Ukraine had been damaged, with about 83 completely destroyed and other classroom being used as emergency accommodation. Additionally there was a lack of teachers, which had been a concern prior to the invasion, but majorly teachers were female and became refugees elsewhere with their children. The Ukrainian government paused all education for a few days when the war first broke out, before returning to online learning that had been the precedent from the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, with some schools re-opening in person teaching by May 2022 in less affected areas. For the start of the 2022-2023 academic year many Ukrainian schools attempted to re-open for the school year, however many are heavily damaged from the war and lack safe locations for pupils and educators if the buildings come under attack. Per government regulations a schools shelter should be preferably be large enough to allow for the continuation of lessons, but if they cannot hold all enrolled pupils then the schools should offer part-time onsite and online learning for all enrolled students. About 51% of the schools in Ukraine planned to return to in-person education with online study if the parents preferred it, with any school without quick access to shelters or located close to boarders with Russia or Belarus staying virtual.

Criticism

According to British economist

Frances Cairncross Dame Frances Anne Cairncross, (born 30 August 1944 in Otley, England) is a British economist, journalist and academic. She is a senior fellow at the School of Public Policy, UCLA. She formerly chaired the executive committee of the Institute f ...

(in April 2010) "Ukrainian education is too inward-looking, too

corrupt Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

and too poor to do a good job". According to Swedish economist

Anders Åslund Per Anders Åslund (; born 17 February 1952) is a Sweden, Swedish economist and former Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He is also a chairman of the International Advisory Council at the Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE). His ...

(in October 2012) the best parts of the Ukrainian education system are basic education in mathematics and science; Ukrainian professor reports that the Ukrainian education provides for a student nothing more than an illusion of training. As a result the majority of the Ukrainian graduates do not possess even a basic level of professional knowledge when they leave their schools. Due to extremely ineffective educational policy of the Ukrainian government and ubiquitous

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

the everyday life of the society has been significantly changed. The new developed qualities of the social transformation include aggression, rudeness, intolerance, boastfulness, reticence etc. In 2013 the education system received the third highest percentage among Ukrainians of having given a

bribe Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corr ...

too with 33%.Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer: Ukraine has become more corrupt over the last two years

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...

(9 July 2013)

References

External links

Website of the Ukrainian Ministry

Study guide in Ukraine

Article about Education in Ukraine from Ukrainian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Study In Ukraine