The All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30. Image of Ukraine” is taking place in Kyiv today. Director of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education Olena Shapovalova took part in the discussion panel of the first day of the Forum dedicated to public diplomacy.
In her report, she presented a marketing study on the attractiveness of higher education for foreign students, conducted by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the State Enterprise “Ukrainian State Center for International Education” and Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics. She also directed attention to the work of “Study in Ukraine” in forming the image of Ukraine as an attractive educational destination.
Education of foreign students is first of all the image of the country in the world. Ukraine should be proud of the ever-growing number of foreign students. As of January 1, 2021, more than 76,000 foreign students from 155 countries study in Ukrainian higher education institutions.
An important component in shaping the attractiveness of higher education for foreign students is the recognition of Ukrainian universities in the world. 7 Ukrainian universities are included in the QS World University Rankings. Ukrainian universities are also included in other world rankings, such as the Times Higher Education and the Shanghai rankings. Today, more than 400 universities teach foreign students in Ukraine. Ukrainian higher education institutions offer more than 300 programs in English. Students have the opportunity to choose the language of study: Ukrainian or English.
“In particular, the infrastructure offered to foreign students is extremely important. We are very grateful to the President for his attention to the construction and reconstruction of dormitories for universities” – said the Director of “Study in Ukraine”.
“How do we build a strategy to promote Ukrainian education in the world? Pursuant to the Presidential Decree № 210/2020 “On Improving Higher Education in Ukraine”, the Government approved an Action Plan to promote opportunities for higher education in Ukraine for foreign students. The Strategy for Marketing Higher Education Services in the International Education Market has already been developed and is under public discussion” – emphasized Olena Shapovalova.
Communication management and strategic partnership play an extremely important role in the world. The “Study in Ukraine” brand is gradually becoming more and more recognizable in the international arena. In recent years, Ukraine has significantly strengthened its presence at various international educational conferences, exhibitions, etc. Since 2017, the Ukrainian State Center for International Education has organized and held more than 30 exhibitions and presentations of Ukrainian education abroad, including in India, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Nigeria, Turkey, China, Lebanon, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, DR Congo, USA, Poland, etc.
The Forum also presented the Strategy of Public Diplomacy, first developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. “Study in Ukraine” participated in the development of this extremely important document, which was presented in a speech by the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Japarova.
“Our cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is evidence of the need to unite the efforts of various state institutions in shaping the image of the country as an attractive educational destination” – noted the Director of “Study in Ukraine”.