“We are poor people with poor education,” my friend said. First, I protested. But she suggested counting people in our surroundings who have higher education and exercise their profession.
We started remembering and counting. We considered the closest friends and relatives. We had 30 people. Only three of them exercise their profession which they obtained at university. Two have jobs, related to education. For example, the doctor works in the pharmacological business.
The rest have jobs which have nothing in common with five years of education.
Once, I had a conversation with a historian, Yaroslav Hrytsak. We touched upon the issue that many people in our country study at universities. Mr. Hrytsak assured that there was nothing bad because even staying at universities, in a certain atmosphere within a certain environment had a positive influence on people. Since that time, frankly speaking, I haven’t come up whether it’s good or bad that a big number of people in Ukraine have higher education which they don’t use in life. Yet the time and money have lapsed. Someone’s place has been already occupated.
One British woman says, “Your country is different. We have a lot of illiterate people.”
Her answer to my silent bewilderment was: “In Britain, only 76 per cent of people can read and write and you have had a pervasive fight against illiteracy and thus everyone in your country can do it.”
I checked her words. And found: over a million adult citizens of today’s Great Britain can neither read or write.
Does it mean we are better? But why London is the bank capital of the world while Kyiv is not?
I got my higher education in 1992. The National University of Kyiv, the faculty of journalism. To tell you the truth, the atmosphere of studying was more interesting than studying itself. Endless histories – of journalism, Ukrainian, Russian, foreign literature etc. A bit of my major.
In a nutshell, if I hadn’t started working I couldn’t have done it shortly after university. Theoretical knowledge went apart from reality.
By the way, I was asked about my degree twice – when I applied for the civil service. Other editorial offices I worked for were eager to know all but my degree.
Now, when I hear that someone is going to submit to the faculty of journalism I genuinely ask: don’t do it! Since my study, much has changed, but the journalist’s degree is a lack of education. You don’t need five years to become a journalist. You need another basic education – mathematics, biology, history, philology, whatever. And maximum one year at university or better a couple of months at The School of Journalism where you will be taught practical skills and basic knowledge.
The knowledge which the students gain at our universities becomes outdated at the moment of graduating. The structure of education is changing. The students at school usually can search for information and find it much faster than teachers with great experience.
Many of us have really poor education, obtained 20-30-40 years ago. The tech one in particular. Although I’m often told how seriously techs had been prepared. They could have been, but given what surrounds us, not so much, I would say.
We should understand that we have to study the whole life. That we have to upgrade one’s level not only by watching through the talk shows. That critical thinking appears after the thinking itself.
The mind is devalued in our country. Hence the phrases which sound here and there: “are you the smartest or what?”, “if you are so smart, so why are you so poor?”, “even a fool can read books, you’d better do”.
We have a dramatically low level of education of our alumni. Because of old equipment, because of the low teaching standards of most of the teachers who studied at the time of the Soviet Union. If not at university then definitely at school. Because of the lack of investment in education. Because domestic oligarchs are happy to support expensive TV channels, but they don’t build universities. No sense they see in investing in smart population – the dumber the better to manipulate and brainwash because TV is more important than university.
Let’s take a look at the statistics. There are 652 higher education institutions in Ukraine, in which 1,5 million students study. These are data from the State Statistics Service at the beginning of the 2018/19 academic year. In 2018, 413,000 specialists graduated from higher educational institutions of the country. I failed to find the statistics where they have lost. And, I suppose, there is no such statistics.
What is happening in France, for instance? There are 80 universities and about 300 higher schools. By the way, an interesting feature of studying in France is the ability to freely move from one university to another throughout the entire period of study in a related profession without passing exams. The vast majority of universities in France are financed by the government and this means that a student pays only the nominal tuition fee, which varies within 200-400 euros a year and depends on the level of education. In particular for foreigners. While the majority of business-schools are private where one academic year for a foreign student can cost 15 000 euros.
The system of German higher education consists of 379 higher education institutions is the state system, and it is funded by the state. There is a small number of private educational institutions, but less than 5% of the total number of students are studying there.
In Italy, the university sector consists of 94 universities (including 60 public, 17 private, 6 higher schools, 11 linear ones, which specialize in online learning).
This row can be continued. The tendency is obvious: we have more universities than in most of the European countries taken together. The level of our education stirs a hell of questions. Starting from the equipment and quality of the teaching staff and ending with household conditions for students.
I know that the efforts are applied to reform this stiff and complicated system. I know that there is fierce opposition. High education shouldn’t be mass and easy-getting. A poor country can’t afford to waste money. Including the money from the pockets of parents who do everything for the child to enter the university, because “it is accustomed so”, “what people would say”, “everyone goes to study at universities, mine isn’t the worst,” “the only child and we will do everything to get a diploma”.
In the majority of universities, education is equal to waiting in the queue for a degree.
I haven’t seen yet the calculations of how many and what professions we need. What jobs will fall into oblivion in recent times and what professions will be in demand? What are the predictions in the labour markets? Is it possible to retrain? For what job and where?
Our state (we all, our taxes) should cover the spending of smart and talented – from studies, textbooks to accommodation in hostels and monthly scholarships.
While the rest don’t have to go to universities. For them, it is necessary to create a system for the rapid acquisition of knowledge and practical skills so that, after appropriate tests, licenses can be issued that allow working in all life-support areas, which don’t require higher education.
Tech education is rotten in the state. Yes, it’s true. Maybe, there’s no need to resume it? Maybe, it is worth creating something different?
In Canada, for example, you won’t be allowed to do anything before you go through professional training, take tests and get a license. Which has to be proven later. This applies to masseurs, masters of manicure, electricians, plumbers, builders and so on.
The concept is: you have to know theoretically and practically the sphere in which you are going to work. Your knowledge has to be proven by passing the tests. In many spheres, you can take tests only twice. There is no third time. If you failed twice – go and learn the same. And pay money for it again. After tests you get a license – this is the necessary basic level. And you will never find a job without it.
Because compliance with these conditions is your personal safety and security of those for whom you work.
The states, which experienced such transformation as ours, have learnt a simple lesson: the citizens need to be properly taught, paid good salaries and strictly asked if necessary.
Zoya Kazanzhy