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The ongoing process of higher education reform in Ukraine has?divided?opinion in the sector: while some highlight ¡°significant progress¡± made in recent years, others have condemned developments including a tuition fee increase.

Last month, the government announced that the minimum tuition fee would increase for almost a third of subject areas, with a particular focus on specialisations with which the labour market is considered to be oversaturated, among them law, management and economics.

Stanislav Nikolaienko, president of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP) and minister of education and science from 2005 to 2007, said the fee increases had ¡°shocked¡± the public and ¡°sharply limited access for young people to these specialties¡±, adding: ¡°We are a warring country, and citizens¡¯ incomes are low.¡±

Speaking to?Times Higher Education, the university president highlighted some ¡°good steps¡± made in recent years, including the establishment of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, which is responsible for programme and institutional accreditation.

Nikolaienko said other reforms, however, were ¡°ill-conceived¡±, describing a ¡°very bureaucratised¡± university admissions process, a lack of incentive for businesses to invest in universities and insufficient independence of university finances.

While commending new limitations on rectors¡¯ terms of office, Nikolaienko was sceptical about?government plans to establish supervisory boards?comprising external advisors from the business and public sectors. ¡°They are not accountable for their decisions,¡± he said, adding that current university boards ¡°work well¡±.

Tetyana Kaganovska, rector of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, took a more positive stance, telling?THE?that ¡°Ukraine has demonstrated significant progress in reforming higher education¡± in recent years. The Ukrainian government ¡°does consider higher education and research a priority¡±, she said.

¡°Universities have gained greater academic autonomy, the requirements for the quality of educational programmes have increased and the accreditation system has improved,¡± Kaganovska said.

A particular milestone, she said, was the 2024 law on individual educational trajectories. ¡°Thanks to this, we are significantly moving closer to the European higher education system,¡± the rector said, with students better able to ¡°customise¡± their degree path. ¡°This step wasn't easy and caused some challenges for us, but it [was] necessary.¡±

Describing attitudes towards the reform process as ¡°varied¡± across the academic community, Kaganovska said a lack of resources to implement new initiatives was a particular source of frustration: ¡°Many innovations require modern infrastructure, digital platforms, staff retraining and international cooperation. All of this demands funding.¡±

¡°A rather serious problem,¡± she added, ¡°is the noticeable, sometimes excessive workload on teachers and administrators. The implementation of new standards in education is often accompanied by increased workloads and responsibilities without corresponding salary increases.¡±

Nadiya Ivanenko, honorary fellow in the University of Oxford¡¯s department of education, said the reform process was inevitably interrupted by Russia¡¯s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

With many young people leaving the country to escape the war, ¡°a lot of universities are losing a huge amount of students, and they just can¡¯t function as a university,¡± Ivanenko said. Kaganovska described the fall in international student numbers, also fuelled by the Russian invasion, as one of the ¡°greatest losses for Ukrainian universities¡±.

In an ¡°ideal world¡±, Kaganovska said, ¡°I would like to see systemic, consistent, and well-coordinated reforms¡±, among them financial reform including ¡°increasing state investments in science and higher education, incentivising grant acquisition, public-private partnerships, and donor support¡±.

¡°Ukraine possesses enormous scientific potential, but it is often hindered by outdated funding mechanisms and fragmentation,¡± she continued, calling for greater support for interdisciplinary research.

NUBiP¡¯s Nikolaienko said Ukrainian universities¡¯ ¡°strategic goals¡±, should also include ¡°updating the content of programmes, taking into account the war and state reconstruction, digitalisation and the introduction of artificial intelligence into the educational process¡±.

University rectors are optimistic that they will ¡°resume dialogue¡± with the government, he added. ¡°There will be changes for the better.¡±

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com