Every year on January 26th, India celebrates one of the most important national holidays – Republic Day.

In 1950, the country adopted the📜 Constitution for all its states and established a sovereign democratic status.

The largest number of foreign students come to Ukraine from India. So we sincerely congratulate all our students from India on the national holiday – Republic Day!

We wish you good health, success in your studies, and may student life be full of interesting events and victories. 👍🏻👍🏻🚀

The awarding of diplomas is a festive and solemn event always. On December 31, 2020, the West Ukrainian National University (classic university of Ternopil) hand over master’s diplomas to students of the Bohdan Havrylyshyn Education and Research Institute of International Relations. During their studies, the students became a part of institute family, and now they will join the Alamni community of the institute.

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared January 24th International Day of Education to celebrate the role of education for peace and development.

By adopting the 2030 Agenda, the world community has recognized that education is a key factor in achieving all 17 sustainable development goals. And Goal 4, in particular, provides for the provision of comprehensive and equitable quality education, the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all.

This year’s International Day of Education takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the educational process around the world.

According to the United Nations, the closure of schools, universities and other educational institutions has affected 1.6 billion people in more than 190 countries.

The United Nations calls for cooperation and international solidarity to ensure that education and lifelong learning are central to the process of rebuilding and transforming into more inclusive, safe and sustainable societies.

We also remind that, earlier, “Study in Ukraine” published a piece on what world’s universities think about the recruitment of foreign students in 2021.

Today, one of the most important state holidays is celebrated in Ukraine, the role of which in the history of the country is difficult to overestimate – the Ukrainian Unity Day.

Every year on this day an important historical event is celebrated, which took place on January 22^nd, 1919 at Sofia Square in Kyiv – the proclamation of the Unification Act of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic.

Ukrainian lands, which were part of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires after the defeat of the Cossack state, for the first time in centuries, had a real chance to break free and build an independent Ukrainian state during the First World War in 1914-1918. With the tsarist rule overthrown in Russia, the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) was established with its capital in Kiev in November 1917. And with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the formation of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic (WUPR) was proclaimed in Lviv on November 1^st, 1918. In January 1919, the two republics united into a single independent state, the Ukrainian People’s Republic.

The Unity Day was first celebrated at the state level in 1999. The holiday invoked to testify to the consolidation and steadfastness of the Ukrainian people, the unity of the citizens of Ukraine living in its various regions.

The symbol of the holiday is the “living chain”, where people, holding hands, form a chain to unite Ukraine and prove its invincibility. The tradition originated in 1990: at that time about three million people lined up between Kyiv and Lviv. It was one of the largest such events in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Ukrainian Unity Day is a day that symbolizes the unity of Ukrainian lands. It is one of the most important holidays of our country, which emphasizes that we are all one people and no barriers can divide us. Every year it acquires more symbolism, as right now we need to unite more than ever for the sake of the future, and for the sake of an independent, free Ukraine.

Congratulations to all Ukrainians on the Unity Day!

Baptism of God is the third and final great holiday of the Christmas and New Year cycle, commonly known as Jordan or Vodokhreshche.

Baptism of God is associated with the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River. When Jesus Christ reached the age of 30, he was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

The main symbol of Vodokhreshche is water. The main traditions and rituals are connected with it on this day. It is believed that on January 19^th it has a special healing power. That is why water consecration takes place on the Vodokhreshche in all temples. This is necessary so that it can be taken home by people, many of whom go to church in the morning. This water can be drunk, sprinkled around the house, etc. Consecrated water on Holy Evening and Vodokhreshche is considered holy and healing. Consecrated water is stored throughout the year.

Another integral tradition of Vodokhreshche is bathing in water bodies that were previously consecrated by a priest. It is done during any weather – even in severe cold.

January 18^th marks the “Hungry Kutia” or the Second Christmas Eve, when the faithful go to the temple to consecrate water and fast till the first star. Traditionally, the family sits down at the table at the appearance of the first star. Among the dishes – kutia, varenyky, borscht, pampushky, mushrooms.

Until January 18^th, people traditionally clean the house and throw out the trash, which is symbolic, because Vodokhreshche is a holiday of purification from all dirt.

One of the rites this evening is shchedruvannia – Ukrainian songs with congratulations on the holidays.

Congratulations to all who celebrate this bright holiday! We wish you spiritual growth, love, good health, wisdom, peace and tranquility!

One of the areas that have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus crisis is student mobility and international student recruitment. The prospects for university enrollment of students in 2021 are outlined in the report of the British rating agency QS Quacquarelli Symonds “Hope for the Future: How Universities are Identifying Emerging Opportunities in 2021” https://info.qs.com/rs/335-VIN-535/images/Hope-for-the-Future-How-Universities-are-Identifying-Emerging-Opportunities-in-2021.pdf

Thus, according to the study conducted by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, higher education professionals will seek to boost their recruitment prospects while adhering to shifting governmental guidance and strict safety controls in 2021.

Higher education professionals feel cautiously optimistic about international student recruitment. When asked how they feel about their international recruitment prospects for the year ahead, many respondents were either very (7%) or somewhat optimistic (38%), with just under a third feeling neutral (29%). This reiterates the notion that there is a feeling of cautious optimism for many universities worldwide as they plan ahead for their recruitment cycles in 2021.

Source: Hope for the Future: How Universities are Identifying Emerging Opportunities in 2021 report.

A significant minority were somewhat pessimistic (19%), while only a few respondents were very pessimistic (8%).

To widen their recruitment scope, surveyed higher education professionals were asked whether their institution is seeking to diversify its source countries. More than half are seeking to diversity their source countries for international student recruitment, 21% are unsure, 17% are considering the move, and only 11% are opposed to the idea.

Source: Hope for the Future: How Universities are Identifying Emerging Opportunities in 2021 report.

This demonstrates that the majority of institutions are open to diversifying their student recruitment source countries in 2021, which may alleviate gaps in the market caused by coronavirus restrictions.

When asked how governments can help institutions and encourage international students to study in their country, respondents chose a range of measures. The most popular option was making it easier for students to obtain a student visa (56%), followed by establishing travel corridors with as many countries as they can (48%) and extending the length of time they can remain on post-study work visas (44%).

Another popular measure was setting up more scholarships for international students (44%), which clearly aligns with the priorities of prospective international students as shown in previous QS coronavirus reporting.

Less popular measures were ensuring they are not subject to quarantine measures when they arrive in the country (21%) and making it easier to become a permanent resident (18%).

Source: Hope for the Future: How Universities are Identifying Emerging Opportunities in 2021 report.

How did universities see recruitment shift in 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis?

Overall, we can see that international student recruitment was significantly impacted by the coronavirus crisis. 30% of respondents stated that they had recruited significantly less than expected, while 29% recruited slightly less and 27% recruited as many international students as they expected.

Only 6% saw significantly more international students than expected, and 9% saw slightly more.

Source: Hope for the Future: How Universities are Identifying Emerging Opportunities in 2021 report.

Given the widespread and devastating nature of the coronavirus crisis, the fact that 27% of respondents saw their expected levels of recruitment, and a combined 15% saw more than expected, is a promising indication of the strength of the international student market.

For those respondents who stated that they had recruited fewer international students than expected, they pointed to a range of reasons why this may have been the case.

The most prevalent reasons for reduced recruitment of foreign students:

• – Fear of travel (60%)
• – Inability to travel to their country (58%),
• – Reluctance to study online (43%)
• – Postponement of studies until the next academic year (43%)

Interestingly, only 16% of surveyed higher education professionals believed that international students wanted to go to countries which had responded better to the coronavirus crisis than their country. In a follow-up question, respondents were asked to speculate what proportion of their prospective international students they think they lost to other countries who handled the crisis better.

In line with the previous insights, 26% of respondents stated that 11-20% of their prospective international students may have been lost to other countries.

A significant minority (13%) chose 71-80% and 81-90%, indicating that a portion of institutions believe that a large percentage of their prospective international students chose to study in other countries.

Another element that had to change because of the coronavirus crisis was the ability to conduct English-language testing. With in-person testing no longer an option due to social distancing restrictions, many institutions chose to waive these requirements or use language applications like Duolingo to test for language proficiency, with 18% of respondents admitting international students without completed language tests.

What incentives are universities offering to encourage admissions?

One step that some institutions took was to offer tuition fee discounts.

When asked whether their institution had offered any discounts to international students, 25% of surveyed higher education professionals said that they had, 45% said they had not, and 30% were unsure.

Respondents were also asked to reveal whether they were considering discounting tuition fees for new international students if they were to start their studies online, with 29% stating that they were considering it, 44% saying that they were not, and 28% unsure.

 
We would like to remind that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has introduced a website about Ukraine for foreigners, which aims to promote studying, investing and traveling in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the website UKRAINE.UA – a digital portal about modern Ukraine for foreign audiences.

Ukrainian State Center for International Education, in particular, joined the work on this project.

“Foreigners will be able to get acquainted with Ukraine online, take an interest in it and later visit, invest or come to study in our country” – said the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.

The website consists of three sections:

• “Explore” – on the tourist potential of Ukraine and the most popular tourist attractions and routes;
• “Invest” – on the opportunities and benefits of investing;
• “Study” – on the studying opportunities in Ukrainian universities.

The UKRAINE.UA website is developed in the style of the unified Ukrainian brand UkraineNOW. It is currently only available in English, but throughout 2021 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to launch French, German, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese versions of the website.

In the evening of January 13th, on New Year’s Eve by the old style, Ukrainians traditionally celebrate Generous Evening or Malanka.

The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is associated with the discrepancy between two calendars: the Julian (“old style”) and the Gregorian (“new style”).

The evening from January 13th to 14th is called Generous. As on Christmas Eve, a festive dinner is prepared on January 13th, which is also called “generous”. It is believed that the more dishes there are on the table, the happier the next year will be.

And since today is a New Year’s holiday, it is a good opportunity to review plans and goals for next year.

Among our plans is to do everything possible to make sure that:

Ukrainian higher education is known all over the world

foreign students studying in Ukrainian universities receive high quality education

admission to universities is transparent and digitalized

Ukraine is competitive in the international market of educational services

So let our designs and plans during these holidays come to pass and become a reality

Making #studyinukraine better

Before entering Ukraine for study, a foreigner must check to which zone their country belongs.

Countries are divided between red and green zones. The red zone includes countries with a significant prevalence of COVID-19.
The list of countries with a high prevalence of COVID-19 is compiled by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and reviewed every seven days.

The list of countries can be found on the website of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine at the link: https://moz.gov.ua/article/news/informacija-schodo-kilkosti-aktivnih-vipadkiv-covid-19-na-100-tis-naselennja-stanom-na-

Foreign citizens arriving from the green zone will not have to go through observation. Foreigners arriving from countries belonging to the red zone can either install the “Act.AtHome” (“Дій.Вдома”) application and spend 14 days in self-isolation (the place of self-isolation is determined and provided by the host educational institution), or take the COVID-19 test (not more than 48 hours before crossing the border), and, if the result is negative, not have to undergo self-isolation.

Documents required for a foreigner to enter Ukraine:

– valid passport;
– entry visa, unless otherwise provided by the current legislation of Ukraine;
– a document confirming the purpose of the planned stay – an invitation for study issued by an educational institution of Ukraine;
– health insurance policies (certificates) valid for the entire period of stay in Ukraine, issued by insurance companies registered in Ukraine or foreign insurance companies that have offices in Ukraine or contractual relations with a partner insurance company in Ukraine (assistance), and cover the costs associated with the provision of emergency medical care and treatment of COVID-19, observation.
– confirmation of sufficient financial security.

To confirm their financial security for the period of stay in Ukraine, the foreigner must have cash or a bank card with a bank statement on the availability of a sufficient amount in the account (minimum – 2000 US dollars). These are funds for the stay, not for tuition.

Meeting at the airport.

The foreigner must inform the university in advance about the date and time of their arrival, flight number.

The university has to:
prepare a letter regarding the meeting of the foreigner at the airport with their representative and send it to the address of the relevant body of state border security and the state enterprise “Ukrainian State Center for International Education”;
send a responsible person to meet the foreigner.

Upon arrival in Ukraine from the countries of the “red zone” there is an opportunity to take the test at the Boryspil International Airport and stop self-isolation; information at the link: https://kbp.aero/en/covid-19-pcr-testing-boryspil-international-airport

The relevant resolution “On the establishment of quarantine in order to prevent the spread of the acute respiratory disease COVID-19 in Ukraine” was approved at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on December 9th.

The decision was made in order to prevent the spread of a new powerful wave of the illness, which may occur, in particular, after the New Year and Christmas holidays.

According to the approved document, from January 8th to 24th, 2021, the operation of cafes, restaurants, bars (except for delivery and takeaway orders) will be prohibited.

It is prohibited to receive visitors by business entities engaged in trade and consumer services, except:
Trade exclusively in food products, medicines, medical devices, hygiene products, household chemicals, communication methods, printed media, veterinary drugs, pet food, seeds, plant protection products, in retail space no less than 60 percent of which is intended for trade in such goods. Trade activity with other groups of goods can take place only by remote delivery;

Fuel trade is allowed.

Also in the specified period of time it is possible to provide financial services, financial institutions and activity on collection and transportation of currency values, activity of operators of postal service, medical practice, veterinary practice, activity of gas stations (without food zones), maintenance activity and repair of vehicles, hairdressers and beauty salons are allowed by appointment.

The work of cinemas, fitness clubs, gyms, swimming pools, theatres is prohibited.

During the period of increased quarantine, it will also be prohibited to visit educational institutions, trade in non-food products, hold any entertainment, sports or mass cultural events.

Public transport will continue to operate.