Kyiv Mohyla Academy: some funding reinstated, but not for journalism

The Ministry of Education has increased the number of State-funded places for day studies at the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” [NaUKMA]  The letter from the Ministry is posted on the NaUKMA website.

The Ministry stated that having considered the appeal from the university, as an exception it was increasing the number of places:

for BA in Engineering by 4 places;

for MA in Philosophy by 10 places;

for MA in Social Worth by 15 places.

However the Master’s programme in Journalism at NaUKMA still received no state funding.

As reported, news of the cuts came after the deadline for applications had passed. There were over 60 applicants for the journalism course, and the Director of the university, Serhiy Kvit  has stressed that the journalism course, as well as that for social work, are unique in Ukraine.  All journalism graduates have found work in their field.

NaUKMA has created an independent fund called  UKMA Alumni which invites donations to help the most talented students from lower income families to study at the university.

See the interview with Serhiy Kvit

This is not the first time that the university has faced difficulties since, under the new government, Dmytro Tabachnyk took over as Minister of Education.

economist”, the Minister stated.

However specialists do not see in these steps from the Ministry of Education a well-thought-out government policy on training the most needed specialists. According to a former Deputy Minister of Education, Maxim Strikha, it was undoubtedly true that something needed to be done with State scholarships, with the numbers excessive in some fields and far too low in others. “Yet what the Ministry is doing fits only into one system. It is a fight with those who dare to have any opposition views, and incentive for those who need to be encouraged”,

The President of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Serhiy Kvit was the first to publicly speak out against the choice of Minister and especially over certain parts of the proposed new Law on Higher Education.

Besides the situation with cuts at NaUKMA, which experts call “political reprisal”, this year the Ministry of Education cut funding for institutes traditionally not in the Minister’s good books. According to Maxim Strikha, these included the Ostroh Academy and the Kyiv Polytechnic. The Dean of the latter, Mykhailo Zhurovsky has of late not been in favour with the current Minister of Education.  The Polytechnic has had funding cut for a number of IT courses. This is while funding for those IT courses has been increased for the Donetsk Polytechnic which President Yanukovych once graduated from.