The Office of the Educational Ombudsman, investigating the issue of awarding medals to graduates who have completed general secondary education, has found that the number of medalists in Ukraine is increasing every year. This conclusion is based on an analysis of “Prozorro” data regarding the number of medals purchased over the past 6 years. According to this data, from 2019 to 2024:
- The number of purchased medals increased from 11,400 to 24,800, an increase of 117.54%.
- The number of medalists increased from 10,100 to 24,300, a rise of 141.36%.
- The number of graduates increased from 185,000 to 231,000, a rise of only 24.67%.
- The ratio of gold medalists to the number of graduates rose from 3.1% in 2019 to 8.2% in 2024.
- The ratio of silver medalists to the number of graduates has remained approximately at 2% each year.
A detailed table with the data analysis can be viewed on the educational ombudsman’s website: https://bit.ly/3WKci1P.
Given that this period included the COVID-19 pandemic and, since 2022, a full-scale invasion, many students have been forced to learn remotely. All research indicates a decline in the quality of education and significant educational losses, so the increase in the number of medalists does not reflect the current state of education.
Should awards that do not provide recipients with any advantages in university admissions be retained, or are they merely a relic of Soviet times? The Office of the Educational Ombudsman has already investigated this issue. Therefore, is there a reason to maintain awards that hold no significance for their recipients? To address this question, the ombudsman has sent a letter to the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Education, Science, and Innovation, as well as to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, proposing a review of the system for awarding gold and silver medals to graduates.
We have previously reported that over 140,000 food packages have been received by Kherson residents from the Ukrainian Red Cross.
