The Board members of the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science, and Sports discussed their achievements and approved the report on the Fund's activities.
“It is crucial that the Fund not only generates productive areas of work but also operates in full alignment with the overall national educational strategy. We must consider the needs of our country at war and adjust the Fund's activities to meet these challenges,” said Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Olha Budnyk, Adviser – Commissioner of the President on the Fund, highlighted the program of scholarships and awards of the Head of State for talented youth.
“This year, more than 80 talented young people received awards and scholarships from the President of Ukraine. Among them are winners of international and national Olympiads, who received UAH 100,000 and UAH 20,000, respectively, graduates who passed the NMT with the highest scores and received a scholarship of UAH 5,000 for one year, as well as 17 teachers who trained winners of international Olympiads and received awards of UAH 50,000,” said Olha Budnyk.
According to her, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, international partners have been involved in the Fund's projects. One of the initiatives, Safe Educational Environment, prepares educators to act in crises. The pilot project, which is based on the Israeli experience, is being implemented in 12 communities of the Zhytomyr and Odesa regions. The main goal is to create conditions for the safety of all participants in the educational process.
The Fund also co-coordinates the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, the establishment of which was announced by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. The goal of this initiative is to consolidate efforts in the development of Ukrainian Studies around the world and to serve as a unifying center for initiatives in the field of Ukrainian Studies.
Models for participation in the coalition have already been developed and negotiations with academic centers have begun. Institutions of higher education from the United States, the European Union, and Japan have expressed their intention to participate in this initiative. In total, there are 44 potential participants.
Together with partners from the United Kingdom, the Twinning Initiative is developing a double degree program with local universities. In total, more than 100 partnerships have been established between Ukrainian and UK higher education institutions. Double degree programs have been launched in ten Ukrainian universities.
In the near future, the Board will hold a series of meetings to determine the key areas of work for the coming year. It will focus on attracting the best foreign experience for Ukraine in education, science and sports, as well as popularizing Ukrainian Studies abroad. After that, the Fund will announce concrete competitive programs to finance support in the identified areas.