The Deputy Minister of Education has revealed whether there are plans to restructure universities in Mykolaiv
- Julia LukyanenkoReporter
Anton Tabunschyk, Chair of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, and Mykola Trofimenko, Deputy Minister of Education. Photo: NikVestiThree higher education institutions in Mykolaiv demonstrate their viability and necessity for the region. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has no plans to carry out their rationalisation in the city.
This was stated during a briefing by Mykola Trofimenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, in response to a question from NikVesti.
Today, 28 May, Mykola Trofimenko attended a meeting on the development of dual education in higher education institutions in the Mykolaiv region. Representatives of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, the Regional Council, Mykolaiv’s higher education institutions and the business community gathered at Mykolaiv National Agrarian University.
In response to a question from NikVesti about the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine’s plans to optimise higher education institutions, Mykola Trofimenko noted that the number of university applicants in the country is declining. Therefore, the ministry is monitoring the effectiveness of the higher education network.
«Undoubtedly, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine currently faces the task of maintaining and creating a highly modern network of higher education institutions that is optimal for the state. There is no doubt that, in terms of population, we have been losing ground since 2022. We are undoubtedly facing a demographic crisis. The number of university applicants is decreasing. Undoubtedly, the 116 higher education institutions currently within the network under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is a large number. Undoubtedly, we are considering how to optimise and modernise this network so that it is effective, and so that we make effective use of the resources allocated to us specifically for funding the higher education system,» said the Deputy Minister of Education.
However, this does not concern the optimisation of higher education institutions in Mykolaiv, as they are proving their capability and necessity for the region.
«But if our universities are proving their worth, they are important for their regions and localities. If they truly meet the objectives set for the region by the head of the military administration, the regional council, city mayors and community leaders, and if they have numerous partnerships and attract funding, why should we reorganise them? There are three excellent universities in Mykolaiv. I do not see, so to speak, an excessive number of higher education institutions for the Mykolaiv region here. Therefore, I believe that the system is currently effective and optimal. We have no plans to reorganise (the universities of Mykolaiv, — note),» noted Mykola Trofimenko.
Merger of Mykolaiv’s universities
As is known, on 5 January 2024, information was published on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine regarding plans to merge Mykolaiv National University named after Vasyl Sukhomlynsky with the University of Shipbuilding. Subsequently, it was planned to create a multidisciplinary University of Shipbuilding and Southern Development (UKRoP) from these two institutions.
Commenting on this initiative, Yevhen Trushliakov, Rector of the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding, expressed his dissatisfaction with the proposed name UKRoP for the new educational institution. In particular, he noted that the decision did not reflect the views and position of the students and lecturers of the National University of Shipbuilding.
Later, the Cabinet of Ministers supported the reorganisation of two higher education institutions in Mykolaiv without giving them the name UKROP, as proposed by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.
The view that one of the universities, which had suffered from Russian shelling, should be closed or reorganised and merged with a more efficient one, was previously voiced by Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration.
At the time, Mykolaiv Sukhomlynskyi University responded to the statement by the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. Professor Svitlana Yakymenko, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, replied that the institution should not be closed. Students at the university also joined the appeal, calling for the institution to be saved and for work to begin on clearing the rubble from the destroyed part of the university.
In February 2024, 317 master’s graduates of Mykolaiv National University named after Sukhomlynskyi stated that, due to the reorganisation, they were unable to receive their graduation certificates.
Following this, the management of the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding provided details of the merger process with Vasyl Sukhomlynsky University. Specifically: which buildings students would study in, whether there were plans to reduce the teaching staff, and the preservation of faculties and state-funded places.
In November 2024, lecturers at the reorganised Vasyl Sukhomlynskyi Mykolaiv National University complained that representatives of the National University of Shipbuilding (NUS), into which the institution had been incorporated as the Pedagogical Institute, were planning to appoint «their own people» to key positions.
The NGO “Mykolaiv Media Hub” (online media outlet NikVesti) wishes to acknowledge the financial assistance of the European Union through its project “Frontline and Investigative Reporting Media in Ukraine” (FAIR Media Ukraine), implemented by Internews International in partnership with the Media Development Foundation (MDF). The NGO “Mykolaiv Media Hub” (online media outlet NikVesti) retains full editorial independence, and the information presented here does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, Internews International, or MDF.
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