For the first time since 2015: Crimeans set an anti-record for admission to Ukrainian universities

Only 86 graduates from the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea entered Ukrainian universities in 2023. This is the lowest figure since 2015, when the number of freshmen was 943.

This was reported by Valentyna Popova, head of national advocacy at the Almenda Center for Civic Education, during a briefing. According to her, this situation is primarily due to the lack of information on the peninsula.

"This year's figure is very disappointing - 86 children. During this time, we have had more than 250 appeals, which mostly concerned awareness. Children do not have the opportunity to get information about what is happening in Ukraine," said Popova.

She also added that, according to an activist who helps applicants with the admission campaign, the demand for admission is not small, but due to the blocking of Ukrainian resources, graduates are unable to access such education. In addition, the lack of the Ukrainian language in Crimean schools and social and financial support also creates a problem.

"An underage child who does not have a passport and wants to enter a Ukrainian university will have a one-way trip. And parents are asking if there are any social programs, financial support for graduates so that they can stay on the mainland until the liberation of Crimea," said the head of the education center.

She emphasized that it is necessary to develop and implement educational concepts for residents of the temporarily occupied territories that will determine the specifics of students' involvement in Ukrainian education. In particular, for those who are already studying at Ukrainian universities, it is necessary to postpone the student attendance rate for three months after enrollment. This is impossible in the current situation, primarily because of the security situation.

Olga Kuryshko, Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, noted that the general concept of restoring the state's activities in the de-occupied territory includes an educational component.

"It envisages the development of educational programs for children who have been living in the temporarily occupied territories for a long time. These should not be general programs that are currently being studied in the government-controlled territory, but adaptive programs that include and understand the circumstances in which children have lived and studied during this period," Kuryshko said.

Over the 10 years of occupation in Crimea, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has counted more than 123,000 school graduates, of whom almost 4,000 received their education remotely, and 2.5 were enrolled with the help of the Crimea-Ukraine Center.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told how applicants from the occupied territories of Ukraine will enter universities in 2024.

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