Optimisation of the network of higher education institutions in Ukraine will be carried out taking into account the demographic situation in the regions.
This was stated by Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi during an hour of questions to the government in the Verkhovna Rada. According to him, the dynamics of birth rates and the number of school graduates will determine the need for universities in specific regions.
‘The key criterion is the demographic situation in the region. We know what the birth rate dynamics will be, how many school graduates will stay in the regions, and how many will go to large centres such as Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro. It is important to understand the number of students that should be at the university for a full-fledged academic environment,’ said Lisovyi.
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He also emphasised that the Ministry of Education and Science does not impose decisions on mergers on universities, but suggests that they make them independently after analysing the situation in the region.
Context:
Higher education reform is underway in Ukraine. In April 2024, the government decided to reorganise two universities to create powerful regional educational centres. This is one of the first steps towards optimising higher education institutions in the face of declining student numbers.
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