Educational System of Ukraine

Educational System of Ukraine

     Education in Ukraine is compulsory and free for all children between the ages of 6 and 17. There are three stages of education: pre-school education, secondary education and further, higher education.

     Pre-school education is from 3 to 6 years of age and it is not compulsory. Parents may give their children to the kindergarten or may leave them at home with their grandparents.

Secondary education is from 6 to 17 years of age. A secondary school is subdivided into a primary school for children aged 6 to 10, a lower (middle) school for children aged 10 to 15 and an upper school for children aged 15 to 17. Primary school comprises grades 1-4. In Primary School children learn reading, writing, mathematics, natural history, music, art, labour, physical training and the English language.

After four years of primary school children go to a secondary school. Lower secondary (middle) school comprises grades 5-9. It has to give the young generation profound and solid knowledge of the fundamentals of sciences. After finishing the 9th grade pupils receive a Certificate of Incomplete Secondary Education and can go to a college of further education to study for more practical (vocational) diplomas relating to the world of work or can stay at school and continue their education in the upper grades for entering a university.

Three types of institutions offer a secondary school curriculum for the upper grades 10-11: the general academic schools; the secondary vocational-technical schools (colleges) and the specialized secondary schools. The core curriculum is similar in all three; however, the present vocational education system covers both general secondary and vocational programmes. In Ukraine there are 778 vocational institutions for more specialized needs, such as agriculture, heavy and light industry, building, services, economy and law. Many Ukrainian children attend gymnasia and lyceums. These schools major in humanities or science. The majority of the schools in Ukraine are financed by the state. Private schools are few in number.

 Upper secondary school comprises a 2-year general school (grades 10-11). After finishing the 11th grade students receive a Certificate of Complete Secondary Education which is leading to the Matriculation Examination, giving successful students access to university.

Universities of higher education accept students from 17 basing on their final tests results. Generally, universities award three kinds of degrees: the Bachelor, the Specialist and the Master. Higher education institutions offer a 5-year programme of academic subjects for undergraduates in a variety of fields, as well as a graduate course, he or she writes a thesis receives a candidate's degree or a doctoral degree.

In Ukraine there are 232 universities. The most famous Ukrainian universities are Kyivo-Mohylyanska Academy, the Kyiv’s oldest university; Shevchenko Kyiv National University, which contains the National Scientific Library and the Main Astronomical Observatory; and Kyiv Poly­technic University, the largest Kyiv’s university. Of these, Kyivo-Mohylyanska Academy is the oldest outright, having been founded as a theological school in 1632, however the Shevchenko University, which was founded in 1834, is the oldest in continuous operation. 

1.How long do children study at school in Ukraine? 

2. What education is not compulsory in Ukraine?

3. How many schools is Secondary School subdivided into?

4. How long does primary education last in Ukraine?

5. When do children start to learn the English language in Ukraine?

6. When does a primary school begin and end?

7. How long do children study in a lower (middle) school in Ukraine?

8. What school do children attend at 11 years old?

9. How long do children study in an upper school in Ukraine?

10. What school comprises 10-11 grades?

11. The pupils receive a Certificate of  Incomplete Secondary Education at the age of …

12. When do students receive a Certificate of Complete Secondary Education?

13. Where can pupils enter after finishing the 9th grade?

   14. What educational document is necessary to take for entering a college?

15. What educational document is necessary to take for entering a university?

    16. How many vocational institutions are there in Ukraine?

     17. Whom do universities of higher education accept?

18. How many kinds of degrees do universities award?

     19. How many universities are there in Ukraine?

     20. Which Kyiv’s university was originally a theological school?

     21. What university is the Kyiv’s oldest university?

22. What university is the Kyiv’s oldest university in continuous operation?