On September 23, 2024, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work Kateryna SKYBA and Specialist of the International Relations Office Anastasiya ZARZHYTSKA took part in a round table on the topic "Strategy for the development of higher education of Ukraine in the conditions of emergency situations and crises of martial law. Building a network of higher education institutions of Ukraine", which took place in Kyiv and on the Zoom platform. The event was organized by the Institute of Higher Education of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine together with the National Erasmus+ office in Ukraine.
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the challenges and prospects for the development of higher education in the conditions of emergencies and crises, in particular martial law, as well as the modernization of the educational network. The discussion was attended by leading scientists, experts in the field of education, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, as well as specialists in demography and economics.
The round table began with an opening speech by Vasyl Kremen, the President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and Svitlana Shitikova, the Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ office in Ukraine. During the event, the following key issues were discussed:
- Legislative prerequisites for the modernization of higher education. Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine outlined the main aspects of reforming the education system in emergency situations.
- Strategic goals and objectives of higher education development. Oleg Sharov, General Director of the Directorate of Professional Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, focused attention on implementation mechanisms and criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of educational activities.
- Higher Education in the context of post-war reconstruction. Yuriy Vitrenko emphasized the need to adapt the educational system to modern conditions, taking into account demographic and economic challenges.
Of special interest were the issues of institutional development, as well as ensuring that the content of education meets the needs of the labor market, which were discussed in the speeches of Andriy Gozhyk and Yuriy Rashkevych. The importance of these issues for the university lies in the need to train qualified specialists who can meet modern challenges and demands of society.
The results of the round table highlighted the importance of institutional transformations in the higher education system, the need to modernize educational institutions and create modern, technological and inclusive learning spaces. The participants agreed that for the successful development of education in Ukraine, it is necessary to continue cooperation at the national and international levels, as well as to actively attract the resources of the EU Erasmus+ Program.
This round table became an important step in the search for solutions for the development of education in the conditions of crisis and martial law, as well as in the direction of the integration of Ukrainian universities into the European educational space.