Council may allow expulsion of students for plagiarism and violation of integrity
11 July 19:42
The Verkhovna Rada is preparing to adopt in the second reading the bill No. 10392 “On Academic Integrity”, which provides clear rules of academic behavior and new grounds for expelling students and applicants, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
What will change?
The following will be considered violations of academic integrity
- plagiarism and self-plagiarism,
- falsification and fabrication of results,
- dishonest use of AI results,
- non-independent performance of tasks, “unauthorized assistance”,
- sabotage,
- incitement to violations, etc.
Teachers, researchers and lecturers will be obliged to respond to such violations.
Applicants may be expelled even after enrollment if violations during the admission process are detected.
Sanctions for students
The draft law provides for:
- educational measures (verbal/written warning, repeated assignment),
- academic sanctions:
- repeated training or assessment;
- deprivation of scholarships or the right to participate in competitions and mobility programs (for 1-3 years);
- expulsion, including those who study at public expense;
- deprivation of tuition benefits;
- exclusion from the academic council.
An applicant may be expelled if he or she:
- submitted a work that is not his or her own (alienation of authorship)
- used someone else’s work without reference (academic plagiarism);
- invented or falsifieddata (fabrication, falsification).
Sanctions for teachers and researchers
Educational workers may be subject to
- academic liability (exclusion from councils, deprivation of scientific supervision, participation in attestations and competitions)
- disciplinary responsibility (reprimand or dismissal);
- deprivation of titles, degrees, awards.
Possibility of exposing violations
The draft law introduces a mechanism for reporting violations. Anyone who has evidence of violations will be able to contact the administration of the institution or the relevant authorities, including the NAQA.
Transitional provisions
- Violations committed prior to the adoption of the law will be considered under the new rules, but with due regard to the old legislation.
- Individuals may voluntarily renounce the degree or title awarded to them within one year after the law comes into force.
The law covers all stages and areas of education: from admission and training to scientific publications, thesis defense, awarding of titles, grants, and internal/external quality assurance.
