Free knowledge in action

A self-education project called Vilna Shkola [Free School. – Ed.], initiated by the Independent Students’ Union Priama Diya [Direct Action. – Ed.] started this spring in Kyiv. The project is aimed at creating an accessible alternative to the formal education which is lagging behind the global educational process and often performs its functions using the Soviet models. The activists of the union believe that the Ukrainian education does not come up to the mark, it is “corrupt, not accessible to everyone, and its quality could be better.” Besides, the students opine that our educational system is still authoritarian in which teachers are not advisors and mentors, but chiefs.

Another problem is the lack of choice. Students are often taught absolutely unnecessary subjects and they are unlikely to use that knowledge anywhere; instead, the state educational system cannot always satisfy the need for really useful and high-quality knowledge. Thus, thinking and not indifferent young people have requested accessible and high-quality alternative. They have found it in the organized self-education.

“Our union has a goal to struggle for free education of good quality. We are not satisfied with the modern Ukrainian education at all since it is not focused on involving the youth and providing them with good-quality knowledge that would help to become qualified specialists. The main point is that the educational system in Ukraine does not allow people to develop in the direction chosen, does not allow self-realization and creativity, it just educates ‘social robots,’” Tonia Melnyk, activist of the students’ union Priama Diya and one of the organizers of Vilna Shkola explained.

Tonia is 23, she has a degree in fashion design and works in this area. The girl told us that she started Vilna Shkola because she feels lack of knowledge in many areas of life, though she has graduated from a high school. “When I studied at high school I encountered the problems I have mentioned. Although I had a creative major, there was no complete self-realization: we were driven into certain limits and very often we had no time for what we were really interested in. Actually, I have organized this free school for me, too. I hardly miss any classes as an organizer and a student. It is really interesting and exciting,” the girl explains.

Today the school offers lectures in history, economics, cultural studies, art, journalism, English, IT, and other spheres. “Our school has quite a large audience. Many people attend classes of ecology and history. We have an English discussion club and are going to start English classes for beginners, and I believe it will be in demand since today it is important to speak this language. We are going to start a course of journalism soon,” Melnyk said and added “The program is not finalized yet. We have made small questionnaires to find out which subjects people would like to study at our Vilna Shkola. I can see that there are many offers in social studies and psychology.”

All lectures and practical trainings in Vilna Shkola are free of charge and the information about it is spread in any possible ways. Everyone can attend lectures he or she is interested in or can become a teacher if he or she has a degree in this or that sphere.

Abroad this format of free education is quite popular and can sometimes compete with conservative educational institutions. In the US and Western Europe similar educational centers have been opened since 1960s in response to the dissatisfying authoritarian state system. However, for Ukraine this format is quite new, but demanded, as the beginning of school proves.

“Today the state administration is authoritarian, it is built on the principles of hierarchy: there is the supreme instance, the teacher and an inferior one, students. A teacher is a repressive organ everyone has to listen to keeping silent. In our school everything is different,” Melnyk explains. According to her, the lectures are organized as live communication and discussion. The participants are sitting in a semi-circle and can ask teacher any questions.

“We created our school relying on the experience of free universities abroad. The idea of the free school is borrowed from the famous philosopher Alexander Neill who founded the free pedagogy school. I like the idea of education through freedom,” the activist sums up. According to her, the activation of the process of self-education in Ukraine is a significant progress.