The director and teacher of the University of Theater, Cinema and Television named after Karpenko-Kary, Andriy Bilous, who is publicly accused of sexual harassment, the Ministry of Education and Science awarded the academic title of associate professor. The corresponding decision was made by the MES Attestation Board on April 24, 2025.
The Ministry of Education explained that the decision was made within the framework of a summarized list of 513 persons submitted by higher education institutions. Individual consideration of Bilous's candidacy was not conducted.
The department stated that at the time of the meeting they had no official grounds for refusing to assign the title. At the same time, in the case of receiving documented information, which may indicate Bilous's discrepancy with criteria, the Ministry of Education and Science reserves the right to initiate check and cancel the decision.
The scandal around the teacher of Karpenko-Kary University exploded in January 2025 after the statement of a student of Sofia Sapozhnik. She has publicly accused Bilous of sexual harassment. After that, other students made similar testimony.
The university then appealed to the police, and on February 10 criminal proceedings were opened under an article on sexual abuse. Bilous was temporarily removed from teaching until March 14. After the deadline, he returned to the post.
Belous himself denies all the charges and declares his readiness to undergo inspections within the current legislation.
