445 acts of official malfeasance exposed in education

Entrance exams are over at the universities, technical, and vocational institutes. The school songs have been sung and identification cards distributed to the newly enrolled students, who have several reasons to count themselves lucky. The Day's Oleksandr FANDEYEV was told at the Chief Directorate for Higher Education of Ukraine that 1.6 million students have been accommodated by over 950 institutions of higher education this academic year, among them 1.1 million full-time students and 130,000 freshmen.

Simultaneously, hundreds of thousands of young men and women remained overboard, blocked by the financial barriers to a quality and competitive education: they could not afford huge bribes or tuition, demanded by Ukraine's increasingly venal educational machine. What developed information society can there be when post-secondary education in today's Ukraine is not actually a constitutional right but rather a derivative of the parents' material status and legacy? It is not an effective way to the top and evening out social inequality, but on the contrary, a means of preserving and deepening property, cultural, and information stratification.

Without doubt, the staggering bribes given and taken play a major role in this stratification. In this context, a commentary from the Finance Ministry's main directorate for social development and financial control is quite interesting. In fact, its head, Petro Kulykov, refused to comment, saying only that “efforts to explain the situation are being regularly made where and whenever necessary.” Meanwhile, the Internal Affairs Ministry's Chief Directorate of the State Service against Economic Crimes (CDSSEC) raided Ukraine's educational establishments and “discovered” that the tried and true method of university admission and passing exams by slipping envelopes with money into the right pockets was still alive and well.

Law enforcement authorities have uncovered 445 acts of official malfeasance at institutions of learning under the Education Ministry's jurisdiction; every other case was bribery (126 in universities, 40 in vocational institutes, 36 in technical schools, and 18 in undergraduate institutions). “Criminal proceedings have been initiated against 196 persons found in possession of money and valuables [acquired as bribes] worth a total of over UAH 269,600,” Oleksandr Kharlamov, head of CDSSEC, disclosed in an interview with Interfax Ukraine, adding that bribes are given and taken at practically every educational establishment, from grade schools to universities, and the process picks up special momentum and scope at the time of entrance exams and during examinations. Not only money, but also household and video equipment, food, and industrial goods are given and taken as bribes.

O. Kharlamov, a docent at Lviv University, confirmed that he received $3,000 from a woman for assisting with her daughter's enrollment. His female counterpart at the Donbas Mining- Metallurgical Institute (Luhansk oblast) was found to have repeatedly (11 documented cases) extorted money for “helping” with entrance examinations. Criminal proceedings are underway. An instructor at the Lomonosov Academy of Food Technologies was caught in the act of accepting $775 as a bribe during entrance exams. A search at her home revealed $12,000.

The CDSSEC head maintains that criminal activities in undergraduate and higher education is increasing markedly. In Volyn oblast, criminal proceedings were initiated against a vocational institute principal and his deputy found to have repeatedly extorted money in return for enrollment without examinations, changing grades, and giving diplomas. There is documented proof of eight such cases, and the bribes received total UAH 2,700. The school principal is under arrest.

The Day asked officials of Kyiv institutions of higher learning to comment on the topic of education and money,

Borys DOVHY, deputy executive secretary for information, Taras Shevchenko National University's admissions commission:

Knowledge is the only criterion according to which a high- school graduate can become a student. No bribes, not at our university anyway. Here money figures only as official tuition fees in certain departments. In such cases enrollment contracts are formally made. I do not know how much one has to pay. I am not asking you how much The Day 's journalists make. (sic). All I can say is that the law and economics departments are the most expensive, and natural sciences ones cost the least.

Anatoly SERDIUK, first deputy rector, National Agricultural University:

I think that knowledge is the main criterion by which one can enter an educational institution. We have a state contract for 1,600 students. This year we received 1,025 enrollment applications from high-school students graduating with honors. They were entitled to be enrolled without entrance exams, if they pass an interview. Another 357 came from winners of school contests. In other words, there is no room left for corruption. We send corrupt people and those with money to study under contract (an average of UAH 640 per semester), according to which the amount of tuition fee depends on the specific department; the economics department is the most expensive (UAH 2,400) and zoological engineering is the least so: UAH 2,100.

Petro DMYTRENKO, associate rector for science, Drahomanov Pedagogical Institute:

You better ask law enforcement about corruption. In fact, I am responsible for graduate studies. I agree that knowledge is the main enrollment criterion, because are graduates and students take their studies very seriously. Graduate enrollment examinations are held in September-October. They are different from the regular ones, because there is a specific applicant for every vacancy.