Back to School
Almost one-quarter of the Ukrainian population went to schools, colleges, and universities, at the beginning of September marking the start of the academic year in Ukraine. Preschool institutions [i.e., daycare centers] and extracurricular school institutions accommodate 2.5 million children; 6.3 million are enrolled in elementary schools, including 550,000 first graders. Over 520,000 are students of vocational training schools, along with 2.2 million higher school students at institutions with varying patterns of ownership, Interfax Ukraine was told by the PR service of the cabinet’s internal policy department. Students passing muster at entrance exams received their ID cards and greetings on August 31.
Kyiv’s National Economics University held its student initiation ceremony on Saturday at the Ukraine Palace. Premier Anatoly Kinakh addressed the young people, stressing that “the government of Ukraine considers the sphere of education among its priorities and will make every effort to secure its development, using the required resources, particularly in terms of financing and maintenance.”
That same day, a similar ceremony took place at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Enrolling there is anything but simple these days. The law faculty had a competition of over fifteen applicants per vacancy. Even though “market occupations” — law, finance, economics, computer science, political science, and sociology — remain the most prestigious, interest in the humanities is also rising. In 2002, entering freshmen could take up two different majors simultaneously. And this is not the only remarkable thing about the current academic year. NaUKMA, entering its second decade, will mark the 370th anniversary of the Kyiv-Mohyla Collegium (the academy’s precursor) and the tenth anniversary of the academy’s rebirth.
