Prospects of the transformation of Ukrainian higher education in the post-war period

authors: Olga Khromova, Olena Mishchenko, Kseniia Nikolenko

Urgency of the research. Higher education in Ukraine has not remained aloof from the political and economic turbulences that the country has been experiencing since 2014, but which have reached a peak since the full-scale military invasion. The limited understanding of the impact of the war on the higher education system is the source of even more detrimental consequences for the activities of Ukrainian higher education institutions.

Target setting. It is necessary not only to have a conscious attitude to what is currently happening in the field of higher education, but also to understand what prospects await Ukrainian higher education institutions after the war, how higher education in the country should change in order not only to survive in a period of critical threats, but also to develop after the end of martial law.

Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. The research analyzed the existing literature on the topic, determined the temporal context of transformations of higher education, drew attention to the destructive factors of war and support of world universities, which during the martial law is a condition for stimulating the strength of Ukrainian higher education institutions and providing Ukrainian students with the opportunity to obtain higher education in safe conditions abroad and at the same time gain new experience in teaching Ukrainian scientists. However, this is also a threat to the outflow of personnel and entrants in the post-war perspective. The context of globalization and digitalization is affected.

The research objective. The purpose of the current article is to determine the prospects for the transformation of Ukrainian higher education in the post-war period in the light of modern development conditions, the advantages that are open to Ukrainian higher education institutions against the background of support from the world academic community and, at the same time, against the background of the threats posed by world universities to the domestic field of higher education due to overwhelming unpreparedness Ukrainian higher education institutions to tough competition in the conditions of globalization and struggle with the consequences of war.

The statement of basic materials. The main directions of the transformation of higher education in the post-war period are: digitization of higher education, maximum integration of higher education and the sphere of the state economy, increasing the number of foreign students, expanding international perspectives and bringing Ukrainian higher education up to the level of world standards, increasing the level of autonomy of Ukrainian higher education institutions. Separately, it is necessary to address the issue of overcoming academic dishonesty, corruption and bureaucracy in higher education.

Conclusions. Understanding the prospects of the transformation of higher education in the post-war period is one of the steps to overcome the current and further crisis in higher education, which was caused, on the one hand, by the war, and on the other hand, by the insufficiently strong level of higher education in Ukraine and before the war. Further research on the topic may relate to the tracking of trends and new prospects for restructuring in the field of higher education, step-by-step programmatic development of the implementation of certain directions of transformation.

Keywords: higher education, Russian-Ukrainian war, sustainability of higher education development, globalization of the educational market, transformation of higher education.

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