September 12, 2022
Osipian, whose research interests include corruption in higher education, writes about the effects of war on Ukraine’s universities and the path toward a more equitable and transparent academy in Ukraine.
“Corruption continues not only in the war-torn eastern and southern regions but also, it seems, in the relatively quiet western regions. Take Chernivtsi. It is the only city in Ukraine that has not suffered a single missile strike, but it has recently been shaken by a bombshell of a different kind.
According to local media, the deputy director of a pedagogical college, part of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, was arrested in her office while allegedly taking a bribe of $1,500 (£1,300) in exchange for granting admission to a state-funded programme. Police images show $100 bills on her desk.”
“The time has come for the Ukrainian government to move from declarations to action on corruption. Despite the recent arrest in Chernivtsi, law enforcement has proved largely ineffective when it comes to rooting out corrupt academics. But perhaps there is a better approach: regime change… new-generation professionals educated in the West could make a difference.”
Osipian is a Founding Fellow at the New University in Exile Consortium.
Read the full article here.