Dear foreign students, we are students of the Ukrainian Academy of Printing reaching out for support.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has unveiled a Napoleonic plan to merge a number of Ukrainian higher education institutions from different regions of the country. Although this data alone is worrying and shows the increasingly authoritarian methods of the Ministry of Education and Science (the list was presented not during open discussions with students of different universities, but at a closed meeting with rectors).
The so-called "mergers" mean the actual liquidation of educational institutions, without a guarantee that the teaching staff, premises and dormitories will be retained. In fact, it is but a way for the government to reduce education costs. There are also no guarantees for the preservation of specialities and university curricula.
For many students, this is a real stab in the back.
The Ministry of Education and Science is trying to "merge" our academy as well. Right now they are trying to merge the Ukrainian Academy of Printing (UAP) and the Lviv Polytechnic National University. This will lead to the loss of Ukrainian book printing and lost opportunities for young artists. Our academy has its own identity and history that will be wiped off if this reorganization happens.
The Ministry of Education and Science did not coordinate these changes with students of the academy. This decision wasn't discussed with the administration of the UAP. We learned about the reorganization of higher education institutions through social media and it was a total surprise to us. In 2022, the Ministry of Education and Science already tried to merge the UAP with LNU (the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv), but back then radical student resistance halted the Ministry's intentions. Today, the situation is much more difficult, as the new ministers are more rigid in their plans, and wartime conditions do not allow for mass protests, and many students had to go abroad.
We call on you to express solidarity, spread the information and support us as much as you can.
For any contact : priama.diia@gmail.com