The Government plans to launch a major reform of higher education this year. This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

At its meeting on 5 January, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a draft law according to which students will be able to study at the expense of the state order, state grants, low-interest loans and on a contractual basis.

“At present, the higher education system has both state-funded and contractual forms. We propose to change this approach in order to cover as many students as possible with state support,” explained the Prime Minister.

The Head of Government noted that the state order implied a completely free education for students at the expense of the state budget. The opportunity to study for free will be given to the best applicants according to the competitive score. Part of the state-funded places will also be allocated to vulnerable categories.

“The state order will primarily concern the specialities that the state needs. For example, society needs teachers and doctors. So the state will pay for the education of the best candidates in these fields. And after successful graduation, it will offer the first job,” said Denys Shmyhal.

At the same time, the Government is introducing a model of state grants that will cover all or part of tuition fees. The Prime Minister assured that these grants would not have to be repaid and would not involve any work obligations.

“The amount of the grant will be determined by two criteria. The first is the results of an external knowledge assessment. The second is the chosen field. Although the amount of the grant will not necessarily cover the full cost of education, the number of applicants receiving financial support will increase significantly due to a more equitable distribution of this support,” said the Prime Minister.

Importantly, the new system will only apply to new entrants. According to the Prime Minister, 60% of students currently study on a contractual basis. The Government’s aim is to ensure that more than 60% of students receive some form of state support.