In Ukraine, there are no plans to cancel the state order system for obtaining higher education, despite the launch of a pilot project of the grant system, which is designed to partially cover the costs of students for contract education. Both systems – grants and state orders – will exist in parallel, according to Serhiy Babak, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Education, Science and Innovation.
According to Babak, the state order is preserved because there are certain specialties where the state acts as a monopolist as an employer. This, in particular, concerns teachers, part of doctors and nuclear power workers who work for the state. They should be prepared with budget funds, because the state needs just such specialists.
In parallel with the state order, a pilot project began to operate with grants that cover part of the costs of training under the contract. Entrants can receive grants in the amount of 15,000 to 25,000 hryvnias, depending on the specialty. This should motivate applicants to choose areas that are more important for the country's economy, in particular natural and technical specialties.
Babak notes that due to the risk of losing important specialists for the state, in particular in areas such as nuclear energy and high-precision technologies, the complete replacement of the state procurement system with grants is currently not expedient. At the same time, grants can become an incentive for future specialists to choose specialties that are lacking in the labor market.
Bill No. 10399, which introduces a transitional period, was adopted in the first reading. During this transitional phase, the state procurement system will remain, while grants will be introduced in parallel. An important part of the experiment is the analysis of how changes affect the choice of specialties among applicants. If the grants are effective, the government will consider the possibility of further development of this system in the future.
What's next?
At the moment, data processing regarding the results of the pilot project is ongoing. An important aspect is the motivation of students to choose specialties that are in high demand in the economy and provide a stable career. However, the full adoption of changes to the legislation, which provides for the implementation of the grant system, may take until the beginning of the 2025 admission campaign.
Thus, although the state order system in education will remain, training grants can become an important tool for reforming the educational process in Ukraine, stimulating the right choice of future specialists.
