Student agents of change – Shaping higher education

Ukraine has a long history of student movements. Since the 19th century students have organised themselves for the purpose of struggling for their rights and needs. They have not only played and still play a crucial role in the development of higher education, but have also always been the most active part of society, influencing social, political, economic and cultural changes in the country.

The modern history of Ukrainian independence started with the Revolution on Granite – a non-violent student protest.

In October 1990, young activists came together in Independence Square to stand against the further communisation of Ukraine – the same square where the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity of 2013-14 took place many years later.

In 2004 students in Ukraine were on the move again. Dissatisfied with the non-democratic political elite, people – mainly the youth – came together in massive protest that evolved into the Orange Revolution.

Nearly 10 years later in November 2013, students once again became the core of massive national protest called the Revolution of Dignity.

That month, the Ukrainian government had decided to suspend preparations for signing the Association Agreement with the European Union. The signing of the agreement was highly anticipated by Ukrainians, especially the youth, as it represented not only a step towards integration in the EU but crucially also a commitment to European values shared by young people.

In the light of the suspension, Ukrainians came out for non-violent protests against the government decision. The protests brought together civil society activists, journalists, entrepreneurs and, of course, students who became a core of the Revolution of Dignity.

Nobody could have anticipated the direction in which events would develop. During the night of 29-30 November students were violently dispersed by police from the main square in Kyiv. Nearly 80 students were injured and many were arrested.

After events on the night of 30 November, the emphasis of protest shifted from aspiration to European integration to the internal political goal of a change of power in Ukraine.

The student role in higher education development

The Revolution of Dignity became a turning point in the political transformation of Ukraine and also led to changes in the field of higher education, which to a great extent happened thanks to students.

The struggle for quality education started in 2010 when Dmytro Tabachnyk was appointed as minister of education and science. The very fact of the possible appointment as minister of a person students perceived as odious, caused resentment. But massive student protest across Ukraine did not succeed.

After being appointed, the new ministry leadership immediately initiated a draft law on higher education.

The draft law was aimed at centralising the higher education system – which was in fact already highly centralised – and excluded the possibility of universities becoming autonomous. Moreover, the involvement of stakeholders in decision-making processes was not foreseen and student rights as well as student engagement was, to put it mildly, not among the draft law’s priorities.

The appearance of the draft law in 2011 provoked outbursts of indignation in Ukrainian academia. Again students took the initiative, with the Campaign against the Degradation of Higher Education, which was aimed at ensuring that the draft law would not pass.

This time student protest was victorious. Opposition towards the draft law was so strong that the cabinet had no choice but to initiate a working group to review a draft document.

The working group, which included all higher education stakeholders – including particularly academics, university administrators, students, employers, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, higher education experts and civil society activists – was established in 2012.

The working group – later called the Zgurovsky group – was keen to create a law that would enable radical reform of higher education. After all, it was decided not to review the document proposed by the ministry but to create a new one.

Students played a crucial role in developing a new draft law, having insisted on broadening student rights, introducing new approaches to quality assurance and highlighting Ukraine’s obligations as a signatory country of the Bologna Declaration to implement key commitments of the Bologna process.

The student Campaign against the Degradation of Higher Education did not end after the working group was launched, as the ministry's leaders were still the same and were continuing to lobby anti-education initiatives.

Student demonstrations lasted for three years, until drastic political change has occurred in 2014 as a result of the Revolution of Dignity.

Apart from the important role that students played in the massive Revolution of Dignity protest, demonstrating their strong commitment to European values and their responsibilities as active citizens, students had their own issue – reforming higher education.

After almost three years of constant protest against the policy of the ministry of education, students decided on radical measures.

On 21 February 2014 students occupied the ministry building and forced ministry leaders to leave. Student activists stayed in the ministry building for more than a week, having declared that they would not leave until all their demands were met.

The demands were for immediate suspension of the minister and the first deputy minister, and for students to approve a new candidate for the ministerial position. Students also stood for early adoption of the draft law on higher education developed by the ‘Zgurovsky group’.

During their stay in the ministry, students worked out a road map for the new minister of education and science, and announced their preferred candidates.

These were Serhiy Kvit, former rector of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy – one of the most liberal higher education institutions in Ukraine – and Liliya Hrynevych, former head of the parliamentary committee on science and education.

This protest was highly successful. On 1 March 2014 students handed over the ministry building to Serhiy Kvit, the newly appointed minister of education and science.

With renewed strength student activists started struggling, now with one important difference: not against the draft law proposed by the ministry in 2011-12, but for the early adoption of the draft law on higher education developed by the ‘Zgurovsky group’ and highly supported by the newly appointed ministry leadership.

The new law on higher education – the most progressive one in Ukrainian history of higher education system development – came into force in September 2014.

The new law – A student perspective

The new law on higher education is aimed at decentralising higher education governance and guaranteeing university autonomy.

It includes such key commitments of the Bologna process as, for instance, introducing a third cycle of higher education (PhD), diploma supplement and developing a quality assurance system according to European standards and guidelines etc.

Furthermore, student rights have been broadened a lot in the new law. Students now have more say in university affairs. Article 40 of the new law on higher education ensures student involvement in university governance as well as decision-making processes at all levels.

The law also guarantees financing for university student unions – which have a right to at least 0.5% of the whole university budget.

One of the most important innovations of the new law in terms of student rights is that it prohibits university administrations from interfering in student affairs. It is also important to emphasise that student governance itself has to become more democratic and transparent under the new law.

What the law unfortunately cannot guarantee is a 100% commitment among academic and administrative staff towards student engagement in university affairs. Despite all the efforts students have made to push for reforms in higher education, they are still not seen as equal and competent partners.

What next?

Student efforts were not in vain. Ukrainian students helped to achieve a legislative basis that enables their active participation in the learning process.

A new spiral of student activism has started after adoption of the new law.

Having obtained their rights on the streets by protests, demonstrations and strikes, student activists now have to learn how to effectively use those rights. Ukrainian students struggled to be equal partners and now they have to demonstrate that they really are equal partners.

Professionalisation of student representation has to be the next step on the way to not only formal but real student involvement.

Ukrainian students have shown how effective student action can be. They have shown commitment when it comes to such difficult issues as political and social transformation, change of power and struggling for the rights of students and responsible citizens.

Certainly, they have convinced everybody that students are agents of change.

Olena Rusnak is a masters student in German and European studies at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine, and the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany. Being head of the secretariat at the Ukrainian Association of Student Self-government, she has considerable experience of student representation both at national and international levels. Rusnak is also a member of the Erasmus+ Higher Education Reform Experts team in Ukraine and a current Ukrainian delegate to the Bologna Follow-Up Group.