Education-related migration of Ukrainians during war: the distance learning aspect

Abstract

The article outlines the main challenges the Ukrainian system of higher education faced after the full-scale war started. The most important of them are the forced displacement of students and teachers both inside and outside the country, as well as the destructions and damages of higher education facilities. The particular importance of higher education in Ukraine during war determines the relevance of the article: the specialists must be prepared for both post-war reconstruction of the country and military technologies build up to deter the possible aggression in the future. The author states that in the conditions of war the institutions of higher education mostly used and some of them still use the online learning as the main or even the only form of learning; and this fact became the additional factor of both students and teaching staff migration abroad. The distance learning does not only stimulate the intention of educators and students to migrate to other countries, but it will also have the negative impact on the country development in the long-term context due to the reduced demand to learning, the education quality decrease and to the weakened social cohesion. Author attempts to substantiate that the distance learning in the educational institutions that are located in relatively safe regions cannot be considered as an adequate response to the current security challenges. However, the institutions of higher education can resort to online learning because it requires less resources and administrative effort than learning process in physical classrooms. Article also provides the examples of measures that could be taken by the administration of those universities and colleges that still work online in order to organize the academic process at least in blended form even in the current security situation.