To increase competitiveness, Ukraine should diversify its economy and reorient production towards goods and services with higher value added. The country needs critical mass of highly qualified specialists hence the quality of higher education is one of the key factors of success to accomplish this task. The system of education should enable the students to acquire knowledge and skills that keep up with the current economic demands. It should also train the graduates for labor mobility and facilitate their adaptation to the changing conditions. The rapid economic growth in Ukraine during the last decade created new opportunities for career development, but it also placed new requirements on the professional staff. Employers, recruiters and independent experts point to the glaring gap between the skills of university graduates and labor market challenges. Criticism of unprofessionalism, corruption and overall degradation of the education system has become ubiquitous. Is this assessment objective? Are Ukrainian higher education institutions capable to train specialists in demand both in Ukraine and abroad?

Advocates of the notion that Ukrainian universities cannot produce internationally competitive graduates present the following arguments. The quality of education suffers primarily from ineffective student selection. It is relatively easy to be admitted to most universities, and there is basically no expulsion for unsatisfactory results. This is because under the current circumstances, Ukrainian higher education institutions bid for receiving funding, from contracting students in particular, more than for their reputation and ratings. The quality of education is deteriorating because professors are forced to make adjustments to serve generally low-performing students.

Contrary to the Western countries, labor market in Ukraine is not involved in developing curricula. For instance, there is no mechanism of engaging future employers to enhance professional standards system on a continuing basis. Moreover, Ukrainian universities, which inherited Soviet-time approach to education, tend to transfer theoretical knowledge only from professors to students. In the mean time, the world’s leading educational systems emphasize the importance of practice, development of emotional intellect, and motivation of individual and team work. Low-quality education in such fields as business administration, management and economics is particularly frustrating. Ukrainian diplomas in these disciplines are recognized in the developed countries only theoretically, while in practice Ukrainian specialists have no chance of winning competition against their foreign peers. At present, only several MBA programs in Ukraine are accredited abroad, mainly in East European countries. This is entirely different from locally and internationally acknowledged MBA programs of the US or West European universities.

Research and education are still isolated activities in Ukraine. Scholarly research is financed by the National Academy of Sciences, which has very weak connections with both universities and the real sector of economy. Consequently, talented students cannot contribute to the applied projects, geared to the needs of the business. While academic research draws on an innovative economy in the developed countries, there are isolated instances of this practice in Ukraine.

Opponents of the motion say that the quality of Ukrainian education varies in different academic fields. In certain areas, Ukrainian colleges are on par with global leaders. This is verified by the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index, which placed Ukrainian higher education and training on the 43rd position among 134 countries. This is the highest performance among the CIS member states. Strong scientific traditions in physics, mathematics, technical disciplines, philology, etc. have helped maintain high level of professional training in these fields. It is a well-known fact that Ukrainian IT specialists or physicists, or mathematicians are internationally competitive and appreciated worldwide. Many graduates in these disciplines successfully continue their studies in foreign universities and find jobs in prestigious international companies.

It is worth mentioning that Ukraine has already introduced certain international practices in its system of education. For example, in consistence with the Bologna Process, most Ukrainian universities now have a two-level system granting Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Moreover, many of our higher education institutions have developed joint programs with European and American universities, issuing internationally recognized certificates and diplomas to their graduates.

Contrary to many Western systems, the system of education in Ukraine encourages the development of social relations, communication skills and cultivating contacts. For example, these skills are improved by oral examinations or traditional interactions within the groups of students. In the future, these social skills become key factors in building a successful career, and are often even more important than academic abilities.

The motion whether the Ukrainian higher education produces uncompetitive graduates will be discussed at the public debate, organized by the Foundation for Effective Governance. The debate will be held in Kyiv on March 30, 2010.

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