#hey let's make this low quality low results education also UNACCESSIBLE AND EXPENSIVE

[contraspem--spero]

...So let's sum it up, why don't we.

1. Ukrainian Ministry of Science and Education announced closing roughly 45% of universities in Ukraine because "there are too many universities and not enough students"

2. At the same time, they want there to be less students because they cancel the type of scholarship that covers your entire university fee; instead we'll have scholarship system that "covers up to 60% of study cost" (optimistically: we all know that's not gonna happen, let's be real)

2.1 Government-approved teachers and educators come forward openly stating that higher education should be "a ticket into high society", and are speaking in favor of "american-style" student loan higher education costs.

3. There still will be full tuition scholarships for professions of "necessary jobs for the country", such as teachers, doctors, etc. No definite list of what those jobs are, exactly, as of yet. However, those who receive full tuition will be obligated to work at least 3 years at their government-assigned job place. (So, no work in private clinics, no private schools - at least). This is presented as government "graciously" offering graduates their "first workplace". Afaik, no info how the said workplace is chosen, if it's possible to pick one that you're comfortable with or live close by. Rumors about it being mostly rural/underdeveloped areas with government offering place of residence, but I've only heard it once so I not convinced.

Which is, yk, the USSR-style system. USSR? The totalitarian country responsible for cultural and physical genocide of Ukrainians and countless other nations? The country Ukraine has been publicly decrying for years and trying to destroy all connections to? So I guess we're planning to destroy architecture and monuments from USSR, but at the same time we're returning back to the totalitarian system of communist dream prof education system and it's all fine and dandy?

3.1 If you fail to complete the contract that obligates you to work at least those 3 years, you will be sued and will have to return the money the government allegedly spent on "educating" you, including social and academic scholarships. No precedent has been set in case of lost of ability or death of the contracted graduate yet.

4. At the same time, the Ministry has announced they'll be making enrolling into university "more difficult" starting this year; I think this means less students accepted in general?

5. Multiple universities currently protest being "fused" into One, Bigger University (at least on paper) for alleged efficiency; this included a naval engineering university being fused with a pedagogical university, and a prestigious but smaller pedagogical university being fused with it's much worse performing neighbour and RIVAL.

6. All the while, education reform in Ukraine is staggering. They're announcing High School reform while our 6th, 7th graders still lack proper textbooks with updated material (which will be on the exams), and no data on when or if they will receive them. The program changes so often the teachers can't keep up and sometimes is outright incorrect.

7. The average salary of a newly employed/fresh graduate teacher is around 6k. You know how much groceries cost? Around 1k on the essentials, much more if you have special dietary needs like me (up to 3k). Then there's rent and utilities. Teachers with experience will get up to 10k, plus some bonuses, but it highly varies in region; my teacher once told me she received "just barely enough to live on" despite working for 20k years, so I'm guessing somewhere in 6-7k, too.

I'm tired.

#personal #we don't usually bring out dirt out to be seen by foreigners so I'm not tagging much #but this is CATASTROPHIC #I don't even know if I get to still be a student next semester because any moment my university may be deemed too small and just #cease to exist. #our education system was bad already #then the new minister came in and said #hey let's make this low quality low results education also UNACCESSIBLE AND EXPENSIVE #like America! but even worse #I personally think we need to take him out back and shoot them and pretend none of this has happened #I wanna cry tho