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The Foundation and MoES, with the support of UNICEF, summarize the admission campaign 2018 in Sievierodonetsk

Dec. 17, 2018, 7:39 a.m.

The Open Policy Foundation, together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, representatives of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, the Department of Education and Science in Sievierodonetsk summarized the outcomes of the admission campaign 2018 and launched the preparations for the admission campaign 2019.

“Current situation in the east shows how difficult conditions for living, teaching and studying of the Luhansk Oblast inhabitants are,” said Iryna ZHDANOVA, Executive Director of the Open Policy Foundation, during a press briefing “The results of the admission campaign 2018 for entrants from the Luhansk region and opportunities for admission in 2019” in Sievierodonetsk. The event organizers: Open Society Foundation and the Luhansk RSA with the support of UNICEF.

“The problem of documents’ recognition is becoming more and more obvious,” said Iryna ZHDANOVA. “According to the Educational Cluster, in 2016, 55 thousand children from non-government controlled areas of Ukraine required recognition of education documents, there were already 76 thousand in 2017, and the forecast is such that this figure is constantly increasing. Our team is extremely inspired by the figures we received from the results of this year's admission campaign. Over 3 years, 4 317 entrants from east and Crimea entered the Ukrainian universities, colleges and vocational schools using the “Donbas-Ukraine” and “Crimea-Ukraine” Educational Centers. This means that together we were able to give these young people not only a vector for obtaining quality education but also a European and international vector. It is important to bring information that 1 142 entrants from east used EC “Donbas-Ukraine” to enter Ukrainian universities at the expanse of the state budget in 2018.”

“For the third year in a row, entrants from the occupied territories, along the ”contact line,” can enter Ukrainian universities through a simplified procedure using the “Donbas-Ukraine” and “Crimean-Ukraine” Educational Centers,” noted Svitlana KRETOVYCH, Deputy Director of the Department - Head of the Sector of Relocated Higher Educational Institutions of the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. “Actually, only Ukraine has implemented such a simplified admission procedure for young people who have suffered from a military conflict. I would like to note that with the beginning of Russian aggression against our territories, the Ministry of Education and Science pays considerable attention to ensure equal access of young people to higher, vocational and secondary education.”

According to Svitlana KRETOVYCH, the “Donbas-Ukraine” Educational Centers operate in different regions at institutions of higher education including relocated universities, technical schools and colleges. “Every child from the occupied territory, who does not have a Ukrainian passport, a certificate for the 9th or 11th forms, or the Independent External Evaluation certificate, can apply to the Educational Center,” Deputy Director of the Department said. “You need to come to the Educational Center, pass the State Final Certification, one specialized examination and take part in the competition for the place at the budget expanse. This year, 1 552 people used the simplified procedure to enter education institutions through the Educational Centers. It is twice as much as compared to 2016. We consider this as a positive dynamic. It means that our work in this important sphere is not in vain. A lot of people worked on this result. I am very grateful to the Open Policy Foundation, the representatives of the Educational Centers, to all other organizations that help each year to conduct the admission campaign. I want to emphasize that the Educational Centers will work in 2019 as last year, from the beginning of June to the end of September. It is important to know that the Unified State Electronic Database on Education (USEDE) contains information about entrants who entered institutions in NGCA through 2014, so they have the opportunity to resume their education at any higher education institution in Ukraine according to a speciality and a course titled in this database. All other young people who entered after 2014 have the right to apply for the simplified procedure or to obtain a distance complete secondary education and to enter any higher education institution on a general basis. I emphasize that any documents issued in the occupied territories are invalid.”

It is also striking that this year the number of telephone calls to the Foundation’s “hotline” increased by one and a half times, compared to last year. Iryna ZHDANOVA said that for 3 years, with the support of UNICEF and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science, the Open Policy Foundation has ensured the work of the “hotline” on education during the admission campaign. This year, more than 12 thousand calls have been received since the beginning of the year, about 1 700 of which were made from eastern Ukraine and Crimea. In the midst of the admission campaign, within only one day, the consultants received a record number of calls - 559. Among the most common questions were restoration of education documents, admission requirements in 2019, whether it will be possible to use the simplified system to enter education institutions including vocational schools in 2019, benefits for children from families of ATO veterans and IDPs, distance education and external studies, transfer to a vacant state-funded place, inability to use the rural coefficient because of the registration in NGCA and others.

“I am extremely pleased to announce that in 2019 the ‘hotline’ will work in Sievierodonetsk,” said the Foundation’s Head. “Besides, the central ‘hotline’ will work in Kyiv.”

“It is important that today the Luhansk Regional State Administration, the Department of Education together with the Department of Higher Education consider the issue of returning the Luhansk National Agrarian University back to Luhansk oblast,” said Yurii STETSYUK, Director of the Department of Education and Science of the Luhansk Regional State Administration. “We plan that children will enter here on the Luhansk land in 2019. This will be the last institution of higher education for relocation, and I think that it will give an additional opportunity for entrants from non-government controlled areas to study in peaceful Ukraine. Also, I would like to mention that in the 2018-2019 academic year, in the Luhansk region, 12 secondary education schools were selected to provide distance learning for children from non-government controlled areas.”

Deputy Chairman of the Luhansk RSA on Social and Humanitarian Issues Olga LISHYK thanked all the speakers for their cooperation and highlighted the need to go on doing their best to provide children, young people, teachers and educators of the Luhansk region with access to quality education.

During the briefing, an information campaign was presented. Iryna ZHDANOVA explained that the Open Policy Foundation conducted a large-scale information campaign. In 2018, the Foundation’s information campaign covered more than 2 million Ukrainian residents including those from non-government controlled areas of Ukraine.

The Foundation’s team, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Luhansk Regional State Administration, distributed information materials related to admission requirements for entrants from uncontrolled eastern territories (postcards, posters, banners, audio and video clips that have the status of social advertising); those material became available at entry-exit control points, the Educational Centers, in Intercity train cars, public transport, at facilities of schools, social services centers, pension funds, employment centers, as well as via television and radio. The information campaign is supported by UNICEF and also by the Embassy of Lithuania in Ukraine, as well as UNHCR, Ukrzaliznytsya, the State Border Guard Service and others.

“In order to disseminate as much information as possible about the possibilities of entering through the simplified procedure, we annually develop, with the help of MoES and the support of UNICEF, step-by-step instructions (on paper and video) to make it easier for school graduates to be oriented,” noted Head of the Foundation. “For the first time in 2018, we have developed a step-by-step instruction how to enter the vocational school, as the number of calls to the Foundation’s “hotline” was increased from the 9th grade graduates and their parents.”

All the necessary information for the entrance of education institutions and preparation for SFC and IEE is available on the Foundation's “Available Education” website dostupnaosvita.com.ua. It consists of free video tutorials, road maps, instructions and more. Registration is not needed. Since the beginning of 2018, the site has had 72 900 visitors and 292 000 views.

During the briefing, Iryna ZHDANOVA presented new information products 2019 that the Foundation created with the support from MoES and UNICEF, and she noted that the Open Policy Foundation continued to work on the development of innovative education.

“We launched a new ‘Let's OPEN GREEN STREAM!’ program to provide access to innovative education for children, teachers and educators who have been affected by the conflict. So far, with the support of the Lithuanian Embassy, we have conducted trainings on project management, fundraising, communication strategy, information campaign, innovative technologies for 137 teachers, educators, representatives of the “Donbas-Ukraine” Educational Centers, vocational schools, institutes of postgraduate pedagogical education from 51 cities and villages of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”

Information materials of the Foundation

2019: https://www.dropbox.com/.../8jlonc.../AADit_3J2raU2ZbqYhkgQ-jWa...

Success stories about the entrance of graduates from Eastern Ukraine and Crimea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdeOAwFjfVA

Success stories of entrants from Eastern Ukraine and Crimea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84wQsGsNY-M

Simplified Procedure of the Vocational School entrance 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_1iBOztgrA

The Admission Campaign 2018 for entrants from Eastern Ukraine (available in the Intercity train towards eastern Ukraine)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX5Q4mc1u00

You can find more information at openpolicy.org.ua, dostupnaosvita.com.ua, mon.gov.ua

“Hotline” Phones of the Open Policy Foundation: