Ivan Ohienko National University has been merged with a pedagogical university: MPs, teachers and graduates raise the alarm
11 June 21:13
On Wednesday, June 11, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided to consolidate the Ivan Ohienko Kamianets-Podilskyi National University (KPNU), as a result of which the institution was merged with the Podil State University (PSU). This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the relevant information on the official website of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
The ministry, justifying its decision, emphasized that both higher education institutions are almost the same size: PSU has 3472 students, while KPNU has 15% fewer – 3030. Together, these universities will form a single community of 6500 students.
It is assumed that PSU will be renamed Ivan Ohienko Podilskyi State University, as it is intended to preserve the historical heritage of the university, founded in Kamianets-Podilskyi during the time of Hetman Skoropadskyi, whose first rector was Ivan Ohienko.
The scientific schools and the achievements of the Ohienko faculty will be developed through new investments in the research base and the renewed capabilities of the combined resources of the two teams.
Reorganization of the KPNU: how the society reacted
People’s Deputy of Ukraine Ihor Marchuk on his Facebook page called the consolidation of the educational institution “the elimination of the national status of the university by merging it with another institution.”
Not reform. Not strengthening. It is the actual destruction of a unique educational center with more than a century of history,” Marchuk wrote.
According to him, a group of officials headed by Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykhailo Vinnytsky is interested in what happened to the KPNU.
Read also: MES at the center of the scandal: Vinnytsky’s statement caused a wave of outrage
The MP appealed to the Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, to not make a decision on the accession of the KPNU to another university.
Do not sign this illegal decision. Do not become part of a “scheme” that will go down in history as shameful. Don’t let the temporary officials from the Ministry of Education and Science destroy what generations have been building,” Marchuk appealed to the Prime Minister.
The parliamentarian also noted that he had spoken with the university’s management and staff. According to him, teachers and researchers “are ready to unite, but in a legal way, with respect for the history, status and mission of the university.”
Andriy Smoliy, PhD in Law, international lawyer and host of the Espresso channel , also criticized the decision to actually merge the two universities.
Kamianets-Podilskyi Ivan Ohienko National University was merged with Podilskyi State University (in fact, with an agricultural vocational school). There are no words. The government has de facto destroyed the first university of the Ukrainian state (UPR),” Smoliy wrote on his Telegram channel.
On social media, Ukrainians are also expressing dissatisfaction and indignation at the decision of the Ministry of Education and Science.
Social media users left the following comments:
- An institution with a great history will go into oblivion.
- Another replacement to hide the failure. Students will be deceived again.
- Ogienko’s brainchild, in which a lot of work and soul was invested, one of the first Ukrainian universities, is being reduced to the state of “some kind of educational institution”.
- Ivan Ohienko Kyiv National University is the oldest university in Podillia and one of the first Ukrainian universities in Ukraine.
- I spent five years of my life at the university. I remember how nice it was when it was granted national status. And now I’m reading this. It’s so disgusting.
Context
It should be noted that on June 11, the Ministry of Education and Science also praised the decision to reorganize Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University (USPU). The educational institution was merged with the Uman National University (UNU).
The relevant ministry explained that the merger of the two Uman universities will create one multidisciplinary institution in the center of Ukraine, which will receive significant investments to expand its research and educational facilities through a special World Bank program.
They have also already established cooperation with the local association of agricultural business, which is interested in improving the quality of graduates in agricultural specialties, as well as in developing a teacher training center for schools in the region.
Read also: “Reform or imitation?”: why the modernization of Ukrainian universities is stalled
What you need to know about Ivan Ohienko Kamianets-Podilskyi National University
Ivan Ohienko Kamianets-Podilskyi National University (KPNU) is one of the oldest and most authoritative higher education institutions in Ukraine, with a rich history, developed structure, and active international activities. The university has the IV level of accreditation and is subordinated to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. It is located in the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi at 61 Ohienka Street.
KPNU was founded on October 22, 1918, by the decree of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi as Kamianets-Podilskyi State Ukrainian University. The first rector was a prominent scholar and public figure Ivan Ohienko, whose name the university bears today.
Over the course of its century-long history, the institution has been reorganized several times: from an institute of public education to an agricultural and pedagogical university. In 2003, it was granted the status of a state university, and in 2008 – a national university.
The university has 9 faculties:
- history
- economic
- physics and Mathematics
- pedagogical
- natural science
- foreign philology
- ukrainian philology and journalism
- physical culture
- correctional Pedagogy and Psychology
The faculties are home to more than 40 departments, 11 research centers, as well as postgraduate and doctoral programs. The university offers 46 bachelor’s and 40 master’s programs. The faculty includes more than 60 doctors of science and more than 300 candidates of science.
The university has 6 to 8 thousand students. Throughout its history, the institution has trained more than 90,000 specialists in education, public administration, economics, culture, and other fields. Among its graduates are more than 350 scientists who have received PhDs and doctorates.
The infrastructure of KPNU consists of 12 educational and laboratory buildings with a total area of more than 128 thousand m². The campus has six dormitories, a sports complex with a swimming pool, two stadiums, and a sports and recreation camp. The university library has more than a million copies, including rare and valuable publications.
There are also 107 teaching and methodological rooms, 25 scientific laboratories and 48 training laboratories that provide full training for students in all specialties.
The university actively develops international activities, cooperates with educational institutions in Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary, and Turkey. Students have the opportunity to participate in Erasmus programs, to undergo internships abroad, in particular in the USA and EU countries.
Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic National University has been repeatedly awarded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences. The university is one of the leading centers of teacher education in Western Ukraine, with a reputation for stability and quality.
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