Discussing the Impact of Russia-Ukraine Conflict on HEIs, and Over 76,000 International Students

The biggest worry after the Russia-Ukraine war triggered was of the International Students in Ukraine, who were the most worried lot, as far as evacuation from the war bound zone was concerned.

Several videos appealing to the concerned governments made an instant flash across the social media platforms where international students studying in Ukrainian universities were seen appealing to their native governments to speed up the evacuation process. Statistics and data available from Ukraine’s Education and Science Ministry noted that these international students were mainly from across India, Middle East, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and African nations including Nigeria, Egypt and Morocco.

According to news reports, an estimated 76,548 international students are enrolled in Ukrainian higher education institutions, with around 18,000 of them coming from India. In a March 7 report, it was noted that the Indian Embassy had already evacuated over 10,000 students out of Ukraine. Statistics and data available from Ukraine’s Education and Science Ministry noted that these international students were mainly from across different countries like India, Middle East, Azerbaijan,

Turkmenistan, and African nations including Nigeria, Egypt, and Morocco.Most international students in Ukraine study medicine, and they form an important part of the country’s economy. Media reports stated that thousands of students and emigrants from across the Indian state were stuck in Ukraine. They were mainly based in Kyiv and Kharkiv, studying medicine, business, and engineering.

As Russia launched the biggest European invasion since World War II, thousands have fled, hundreds are still trapped, and many remain uncertain about the fate of their education and future.

Reason

Why do international students opt for Ukraine? The country offers a lot of investment initiatives in higher education and a very specific attempt to attract students from newly independent African countries.

Ukrainian universities are seen as a gateway to the job-markets in Europe, because the degrees offered by these universities are widely recognized and offer high education standards at affordable education fees, simple and straight visa norms and access, as well as the possibility of obtaining permanent resident status in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

The country also boasts good medical facilities which attract a lot of students wanting to study medicine. Plus, the country has relaxed admission requirements and a cheaper cost of living, as compared to other European destinations.

Response

Having invested a lot of money in education in Ukraine, many students are in a dilemma and are not able to make up their mind to return home or stay in Ukraine to complete their degree education.

Countries like Hungary and Ghana are welcoming back their students who have left Ukraine by offering them to continue their studies in local universities at the same cost as their tuition in Ukraine. However, it is not clear as to how many African and Asian students are covered by this arrangement.

Meanwhile, Canada, one of the most preferred global education destinations, announced a new immigration and study permit pathway for Ukrainian students who are fleeing from the conflict zone from their own home country. Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser announced that the country is prioritizing study permit applications and study permit application fee waivers for Ukrainian citizens.

In India, a plea has been filed in the High Courts and Supreme Court. A public interest litigation (PIL) seeks guidance on the issue of admission and continuation of studies in Ukraine by Indian medical students. The plea also sought directives from the Indian Government to provide a medical subject equivalent orientation program for admitting Indian students who have been evacuated from Ukraine.

Action

In the international education market, Ukraine earns a significant amount of revenue thanks to its educational infrastructure. The average spend of an international student in Ukraine is more than $7,000 a year, according to a 2020 research by Ukraine’s Education and Science Ministry.

Latest numbers show that international students contribute $542M in annual revenue to Ukraine. Ukraine has an annual GDP of $155B. Breaking the numbers down, this means that international students contribute $3 for every $1,000. Comparing this to the United States, international students only contributed $28.4B to the country’s economy of $21t in 2020. This amounts to less than $1.5 for every $1,000.

International Education experts believe that Ukraine will be left with no option but to mitigate the risk of losing revenue from education exports by engaging in tie-ups with institutes outside Ukraine, to shift its learning processes online, and to make the online admission online education process completely flexible. With recent happenings, hybrid models are seen as the norm in Ukraine more and more.

There is a concern, however, when keeping in mind that the top field of study in Ukraine is medicine, which requires practical experiments and cannot be addressed in online or remote classroom mode.

Solution

With economics attached to international education in Ukraine in the past few years, very specific efforts have been made to promote Ukrainian Universities abroad, for which a special body has been set up Ukrainian State Centre for International Education, which primarily engages in attracting students from across the world, especially the developing economies.

With the proactive approach, the Ukrainian Government has been successfully able to establish its education exports as a perfect international business model. Deans of Ukrainian universities have been visiting several developing economies and destinations to invite potential students.

Due to the war, many of the top universities’ profits and gains from education exports, especially from the higher education vertical, are now completely vulnerable.

To help those affected by the war, a low fee structure is a major catchment area for international students. It is understandable why Ukraine remains a top destination for medical students. What they spend there is just half of what they would spend if they were studying in India or in any Western country, and Ukraine has some of the best universities in the region.

Conclusion

On this note, experts believe that Ukraine is still figuring out what the future holds for its international education sector. Historically, the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, had led to such losses of revenue from universities in Crimea.

With Ukraine leaning toward the West, the country’s higher education institutions will probably go into agreements with Western institutes of excellence, for several education programs offered by them.

Therefore, the future lies in Ukrainian institutions tapping into pathway programs. The country will not likely give up on its revenue from education exports, and would equally eye the United States and Europe for such pathway programs. These pathway programs will not only facilitate the already enrolled students in the Ukrainian Universities who will be able to opt for their future education needs but will also allow the new batches to access similar routes who would be more than happy to explore such handshakes. (SUNEETHA QURESHI)