The Essence of This Moment

Dr. Volodymyr Morenets

Last year (it has been almost a year already!) Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (“Mohylianka” as affectionately called) is on the edge of the most pressing issues of Ukrainian spiritual, cultural and academic life. ...

Open critical judgments about the newly appointed Minister of Education D. Tabachnik (upheld by a fundamental analysis of his outlook and positions - See research article of Ivan Dziuba, "Bitter Dents from Tabachnik”, published in the newspaper “Day”, summer 2010); a fierce struggle for the university’s own entrance exam requirements that would allow for admission of English speaking students; a consistent critique of the newly proposed draft law on higher education proposed by D.V. Tabachnik, accumulated in the symbolic phrase “struggle for university autonomy”; a sharp adverse reaction to the ministry’s proposed concept on the teaching of history, literature, languages (the latter “still in the making”) – all this criticism by Kyiv-Mohyla activists may seem to the general public to be a local waste of energy, an excessive reaction by a demanding university, and examples of the university’s own promotion in the media for student applicants.

Actually, that is how our opponents try to portray us this year, although, with 25-35 applicants for each available placement, Kyiv Mohyla Academy has no need to compete for applicants. There is another matter – it is the issue of reaching out for “the unique special student”...

But the core of the issue is not at all about “the uniqueness of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”, it is, rather, about the fundamental geopolitical and cultural development of Ukraine, which is the real essence of the issue that is silenced by the current ideologues of education. ...

It is not a secret to anyone, that with the coming of the new powers in government of Ukraine, the nation’s turn toward a western direction has been seriously hampered, Euro-integration (and even more so Euro-Atlantic integration) has taken on a purely declarative character, but instead the turn toward Russia has been implemented with a determined speed of concrete steps and deliberate actions…….

But a particular area of attention in this political and spiritual-cultural “re-positioning” of Ukraine is the country’s youth, and particularly - education as a determining factor of the country’s orientation. The current steps, which are taking place at lightening speed, appear to be overcoming the ability of the nation as a living organism to react in a timely and proper manner to the danger the situation poses to its own existence. Meanwhile, this is precisely where we can find the answer to the root of the question of why and from where did Minister D.V. Tabachnik appear in this process and what is his role. ...

For a detailed analysis of this issue, click on this link here for the full text of the article in Ukrainian by Dr. Volodymyr Morenets.