Perspective Chapter: The War as a Factor of Upheavals and Transformations in Higher Education – Experience of Ukraine

Abstract

This section aims to analyze the impact of the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine on the higher education system, the losses incurred, and the forced transformation processes that form new vectors for the development and modernization of higher education for post-war recovery. The introduction outlines the author’s understanding of the essence of the war in Ukraine as a global civilizational conflict, its causes, and its consequences. Further, the analysis of challenges to the education system in the context of armed conflicts in the studies of foreign and domestic authors is carried out. The study of the problems of Ukraine’s higher education began with its general characteristics in the pre-war period. The essential attention focuses on a review of the impact of the war on the system of higher education in Ukraine, where two stages are distinguished: the first is the consequences of the armed conflict of 2014-2021 for higher education in Ukraine and the peculiarities of the forced relocation of universities; the second is the risks and losses of higher education institutions in Ukraine in the context of the 2022 war. These are the problems of security and preservation of infrastructure, human resources, and student body of universities. The change in organizational forms and methods of training in combat conditions to ensure the educational process are highlighted as well as the importance of using digital technologies, innovative approaches, and international cooperation for the preservation of higher education. At the end of the section, the immediate and long-term negative consequences of the war for higher education in Ukraine are systematized, and it is concluded that the educational transformations caused by the war contribute to the formation of new vectors of post-war reforms and the development of the Ukrainian higher education system.

Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army

(Edward Everett, US politician and statesman, President of Harvard College)

1. Introduction

The importance of studying the impact of war on higher education is due to the fact that it is of key significance for the formation of human and intellectual capital, formation of the national elite, development of science and culture, improvement of the state technological level, formation of a modern economy, and establishment of democratic foundations of social development. As the history of armed conflicts shows, in any war, the education system becomes the arena of a battle, as it is the battle for people’s minds and worldviews. In the conditions of the formation of the knowledge society and the aggravation of global contradictions, the war in the field of education becomes especially important.

The 21st century is characterized by increasing global instability and aggravation of various risks, as indicated in the results of the research by experts of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which annually publishes reports on global risks. According to their assessment, in recent decades, the most threatening to society in terms of probability are environmental risks and in terms of impact – geopolitical risks (large-scale terrorist attacks and the use of weapons of mass destruction). The war in Ukraine is the result of the escalation of global ideological and political confrontations in the conditions of the accumulation of lethal weapons and weapons of mass destruction. The war was a shock for Ukraine, which had a negative impact on all spheres of the country’s social life, which made it necessary to study its causes and consequences.

In Ukraine, many scientists have analyzed the causes and the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war. It should be highlighted that the research of specialists of the National Institute of Strategic Studies [1, 2] have revealed the essence and features of hybrid wars, investigated the Ukrainian-Russian strategic confrontation and fault lines, and considered the prerequisites of Russian aggression against Ukraine and its consequences. In the publications of I. Rushchenko [3] and L. Zaliznyak [4], the civilization nature of the long Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which is caused by different historical, cultural, and mental differences in the organization of public life, is investigated. This aspect of the Russian-Ukrainian relations and confrontations has also been analyzed by the scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine [5]. These and other publications lead to the conclusion that this war is based on civilizational opposites and strategic differences in the vectors of development of the two warring countries – Russia and Ukraine. Russia’s aggression is due to the desire to build a Eurasian empire on the basis of autocracy through territorial expansion and annexations, primarily of Ukraine, which is substantiated in the book “Basics of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia” by Oleksandr Dugin, who is a modern Russian ideologist of Eurasianism [6]. Ukraine became the object of invasion as a result of choosing another vector of development, which is integration into the European social and economic area and the development of a free, democratic country, which is based on human rights and freedoms. Therefore, this war has a civilizational character, and it is carried out in an extremely brutal form and threatens democratic conquests and values of the world. And higher education is one of the greatest values.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned publications do not give the analysis of the problems of education in the conditions of war. However, they reveal general causes of the armed confrontation, which is important for understanding its nature and negative consequences for the Ukrainian state. Its consequences for the economy and human development of the country are especially harmful, since Ukraine is having huge losses of material and human assets. It has caused great destruction to the education system of Ukraine, including higher education. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the impact of the war, unleashed by Russia in Ukraine, on the system of higher education; the losses incurred and forced transformation processes that form new vectors of development; and modernization of higher education in the course of post-war recovery.

2. Analysis of the challenges to the education system in the conditions of armed conflicts in the studies of foreign and national authors

High-quality mass education is the most important achievement of a society. It forms a person’s worldview, ensures his/her right to development, and provides modern knowledge and competencies necessary for successful economic activity.

The impact of war on education raises a number of humanitarian and social problems, which are the subject of concern of many international organizations and the object of analysis by numerous foreign and national researchers. In particular, UNESCO carries out an expertise in emergency situation trainings, including those caused by armed conflicts. It emphasizes that access to learning opportunities during crises is life-saving and life-sustaining. The specialists of the organization analyze the situation in education during wars in various countries, so Ukraine was no exception. Taking into account significant problems created by the war in Ukraine’s education, UNESCO has launched programs to ensure the continuation of teaching and learning in Ukraine. The programs support online education, promote development of digital educational platforms and content and electronic assessment systems for higher education, and provide psychosocial support to participants in the educational process [7].

The international organization UNICEF, which carries out vigorous activities in Ukraine, plays a significant role in highlighting and solving the problems of education in wartime conditions. UNICEF specialists have prepared the report “Children and the War in Ukraine” [8], which, along with other aspects, studies, analyzes, and highlights the problems of children’s education during the war. Also, the organization regularly reviews the humanitarian situation and identifies the directions of aid, including the provision of the educational process, in Ukraine [9].

The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attacks (GCPEA), which was formed in 2010 to address the problem of targeted attacks on education during armed conflicts, is directly related to its activities in highlighting and solving the problems of education during wars. GCPEA regularly conducts research and prepares reports and publications on the situation with regard to education in various countries where such conflicts take place, like Afghanistan, Palestine, Yemen, and many other countries. Analytical reports named “Education Under Attack” are regularly prepared. Their releases for 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2022 are available now. The 2022 edition noted that the number of attacks on educational institutions and the use of educational institutions for military purposes increased by one-third from 2019 to 2020 and continued to increase in 2021. Over a thousand schools and universities were damaged in Ukraine from February 24 to June 1, 2022 [10].

Many foreign researchers analyze the impact of armed conflicts on education in certain countries, for example, in Bosnia and in other countries [11]. In India, it is done by taking into account the gender aspect [12]. Considerable attention is paid to the problems of higher education in the conditions of war, since it is this sector of education that forms highly qualified personnel. Arnaldo Pellin investigated the systemic effects of the war on higher education in Somalia and concluded that systemic damage can only be overcome through collective efforts [13]. A group of researchers analyzed the condition and losses of higher education institutions in the conditions of permanent war in the Gaza Strip and determined directions of their protection against attacks [14]. The University of Cambridge has published the study results by Cambridge University scholars and Syrian academics in exile on the state of the Syrian higher education system after 8 years of war, concluding that it will gradually collapse [15]. In most studies, material and human losses of universities and colleges are analyzed, their consequences for the development of the country, and ways to protect higher educational institutions are determined.

In Ukraine, the issue of education in the conditions of war became relevant after Russia’s occupation of Crimea and parts of the eastern regions of the country in 2014. In the monograph of scientists of Drahomanov National Pedagogical University, [16] analyzed the development of education in a conflict society and its role in building peace and investigated the problems of education in Ukraine in the conditions of a hybrid war; they paid considerable attention to the international practice of reintegration of higher education and the activities of displaced universities of Ukraine. Specialists of the Institute of Pedagogy of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences (NAPS) of Ukraine [17] systematized the recommendations of international organizations regarding the organization of education in wartime conditions. Kharkiv IT Cluster has prepared a selection of the most important and up-to-date information about higher education at the end of September 2022, which outlines the changes and features of the educational process in the conditions of a full-scale war [18]. The independent analytical center and community Cedos that works on issues of social development in Ukraine pays considerable attention to the problems of education, which are discussed at round tables organized by it. The center has published discussion materials on the impact of the war on higher education [19]. The author has also made an analysis of the problems of education in Ukraine in the realities of the war from the standpoint of conditions for the formation of human capital [20].

3. General characteristics of higher education in Ukraine in the pre-war period

Ukraine has a long tradition of higher education development, which dates back to the founding of the Ostroh Academy in the 16th century and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy at the beginning of the 17th century. In the nineteenth century, universities, lyceums, and institutes were established in almost all large cities located on the territory of present-day Ukraine, and during the Soviet time, in all regional centers. In 1990, Ukraine had 149 state higher education institutions (HEIs), most of which were in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Lviv. It should be noted that after Ukraine gained independence in 1991 and began transition to a market economy, there was a boom in the development of higher education. The creation of private institutes and admission on a commercial basis of a significant number of applicants to state higher education institutions were due to the high demand of the population for higher education under the condition of low tuition fees. The number of higher education institutions increased more than twice from 1990 to 2007, and the number of students increased by 2.6 times, reaching 2372.5 thousand people in 2007 [21]. This increase in the amount of training of university specialists was not determined by the needs of the labor market and was not accompanied by the corresponding development of the material base of higher education institutions and modernization of the educational process. “Massification” of higher education led to a decrease in its quality and insufficient compliance of the acquired qualifications with the requirements of the economy, which led to the devaluation of a university diploma [22]. Therefore, starting from the end of 2010, the process of optimizing the number of higher education institutions and the scope of university training of specialists, modernizing the content and directions of the world, and strengthening the emphasis on the quality of education and the formation of modern competencies has taken place. This was facilitated by: the Law “On Higher Education” of 2014 with amendments of 2020, which is aimed at quality training of competitive human capital for high-tech and innovative development of the country; The National Agency for Quality Assurance of Higher Education, which was created on the model of the European independent quality assurance agencies; gradual integration of Ukrainian universities into the European space of higher education and their active participation in the EU Tempus and Erasmus+ programs.

On the eve of the 2022 war, Ukraine had a significant number of higher education institutions capable of training specialists for the economy. As of February 10, 2022, 336 universities, academies, and institutes and 96 other higher education institutions (schools, technical schools, and colleges) were operating, with 1,335,700 students studying at levels 5–8 of the Framework of Qualifications. The qualification levels are: Junior Specialist – 362.5 thousand people; Bachelor’s degree – 707.3 thousand; Master’s degree – 240.7 thousand; Doctor of Philosophy – 25.1 thousand people [23]. According to the share of students in the total population, which is 3.3%, Ukraine is approximately at the level of the developed European countries. According to our calculations based on the Eurostat data, in 2020, it was 3.9% in Germany, 3.4% in Italy, 4.5% in Spain, and 4.1% in France [24].

Ukraine has many good universities that are able to provide quality educational services and scientific research. According to the national rating of higher education institutions of Ukraine, which evaluates academic, scientific publishing and international activity and research achievements, the leaders occupying the first 5 positions among the Top-200 universities of Ukraine in 2022 were: Shevchenko Kyiv National University, Sikorskyi Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Karazin Kharkiv National University, Lviv Polytechnic Institute, and Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute [25]. Also, 11 universities of Ukraine were included in the QS World University Rankings 2023. Among them are Karazin Kharkiv National University, which has a rank in the range of 541–550 positions; Shevchenko Kyiv National University; and Sikorskyi Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, ranking between 651 and 701 positions [26]. So far, Ukrainian universities do not occupy very high positions in the world rankings; however, the number of national HEIs participating in international assessments is increasing. It should also be noted that Ukrainian students take part in the international contests of student works and quite often win.

Examples. Two students of Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute took first place at the ICAMES 2019 International Competition (International Cultural and Academic Meeting of Engineering Students). There were 80 participants from 11 countries of the world who mastered engineering specialties [27]. In the international competition of scientific developments of schoolchildren and students “Science without Borders,” which took place on May 29, 2022 in the city of Teplice (Czech Republic), Ukrainian students from the specialty “Management of Organizations and Administration” received 14 diplomas for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places [28].

Despite certain achievements, there are currently many problems in the field of higher education in Ukraine that need to be solved as soon as possible: improving the quality of education for the formation of modern competencies, flexible change of training directions and qualifications to the changing needs of the labor market, modernization of the educational process based on digital technologies and global educational trends, raising the level of university science, and more active internationalization of university activities and active participation in the education of the adult population. The possibilities for solving these problems have significantly worsened in the conditions of a full-scale war unleashed by Russia, which has brought significant destruction to the higher education system of Ukraine.

4. The war as a trigger of upheavals for Ukraine and its higher education system, main risks and threats

The war brings huge threats to the education system due to: destruction of the educational infrastructure, use of educational facilities for military purposes, impossibility of organizing training during hostilities, risks to life and health of all participants in the educational process, and forced relocation of higher education institutions, teachers, and students to other territories. Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2014 and lasted 8 years in the form of a hybrid war, continued with a full-scale war in 2022. It led to significant destruction and losses in the economy and social infrastructure, causing significant changes in higher education.

4.1 The hybrid war of 2014: 2021 and its consequences for higher education

In 2014, Russia occupied 7% of the territory of Ukraine, including Crimea and the eastern territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions [29]. Despite the fact that the active phase of the armed confrontation was suspended by a temporary ceasefire in September 2014, the war continued in a hybrid form, which combines military, quasi-military, diplomatic, informational, economic, and other means of warfare by the aggressor to achieve its strategic and political goals ([1], p. 19). Ukraine lost significant industrial potential, which was concentrated in the east of the country. Together with the costs of the war, this led to significant economic losses. According to the calculations of the London Centre for Economics and Business Research Cebr, the conflict with Russia cost Ukraine 280 billion US dollars in lost GDP for the period of 2014–2020; annually, Ukraine lost 19.9% of its GDP since 2014 [30]. Large economic losses limited the possibility of financing the system of education. In addition, during this period, Ukraine lost a number of educational institutions, teaching staff, and students who remained in the territory not controlled by Ukraine, which is shown in Table 1. The number of colleges decreased by 20% and their students by 24%; the number of teaching staff decreased almost by 16%. 48 universities with a large number of students and teachers remained in the occupied territories, so the student contingent of Ukrainian universities decreased by almost 17%.

	Colleges, technical colleges, vocational schools		Change in %	Universities, Academies, Institutes		Change in %
Academic year	2013/14	2014/15*		2013/14	2014/15*
Number of HEIs, units	478	387	79.5	325	277	85.2
Number of students in HEIs, thousand people	329.0	251.3	76.4	1723.7	1438.0	83.4
Number of the enrolled people to study in HEIs, thousand people	93.9	69.5	74.0	348.0	291.6	83.8
Teaching staff, thousand people	36.3	30.6	84.3	158.5	138.0	87.1

Table 1.

Changes in quantitative indicators of higher education in Ukraine in 2014–2015 [31, 32, 33].

*

Excluding the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and the part of temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The invasion of Russia in 2014, hostilities and occupation of the territory of Donbas (parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions), as well as the annexation of Crimea caused large-scale displacement of people and organizations. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 2014–2015 exceeded 1.5 million people, most of whom were children and adolescents. Creation of fake republics of Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in the occupied territories under the full control of the Russian Federation and repression against pro-Ukrainian citizens prompted the displacement of a significant number of people, enterprises, and organizations, including the majority of higher education institutions. 18 higher education institutions, three and a half thousand scientific and pedagogical workers, and almost forty thousand students left the occupied territories. 9 universities left the Donetsk region, 8 universities left the Luhansk region, and one university left Crimea [34]. Among those displaced were such powerful universities as: Donetsk National University (DonNU) (is located in Vinnytsia), Donetsk National Technical University (is located on the basis of its own branch in Pokrovsk), Dahl Eastern Ukrainian National University (now is in Severodonetsk), Luhansk National Agrarian University (in Kharkiv), and Taurida National University, named after V.I. Vernadskyi (in the city of Kyiv).

A review of numerous sources with information on the relocation of higher education institutions from the occupied territories in 2014–2015 makes it possible to determine the specifics of this process:

firstly, in the conditions of shock from the invasion and occupation, the political crisis in Ukraine (after the fighting on the Maidan in February 2014, President Yanukovych fled and the new authorities did not gain legitimacy), and confusion and sabotage of some local authorities, higher educational institutions (like other organizations) were left at the mercy of fate and had to decide for themselves what to do. The decision about the necessity of relocation did not come immediately but after the seizure of universities by armed men, banning of everything Ukrainian, and the demand to come under the jurisdiction of the LPR or DPR;

secondly, in choosing the strategy for further activity, the staff of the occupied higher education institutions were divided: one part decided to remain in the occupation, the other part decided to leave for the territory controlled by Ukraine. Therefore, as noted by R. Dodonov [35], almost every evacuated university in uncontrolled territories has its own “clone” that has completely switched its activities to Russian standards and ideological attitudes. During all the years of occupation between the divided universities, according to R. Dodonov, “an ideological gap has grown,” which can hardly be overcome even in the process of reintegration of the occupied territories into Ukraine, especially with a view to a full-scale war in 2022;

thirdly, the relocation and revival of the universities in new locations was carried out on the initiative and due to the efforts of the teams of the educational institutions themselves. At that time, the Ukrainian state did not initiate the evacuation of these educational and scientific institutions and actually did not provide assistance during the relocation process itself. In new places, resettled universities were treated as competitors, so they did not contribute too much to the organization of their activities. The relocation of higher education institutions became possible only due to the enthusiasm, perseverance, and hard work of the management of these institutions, their teachers, and students, practically without external help. It should be noted that the entire material component remained in the occupation; only the statutory documents and those methodical materials that were on electronic media were taken away. The local authorities provided premises for the displaced institutions, but they were not furnished. There was no necessary equipment, furniture, computers, and housing for teachers and students; there was a delay in funding. The author can personally confirm this situation of the displaced universities, since, being a forced displaced person from Donetsk herself, in October 2014, she was in close contact with the staff of the displaced Donetsk National University in Vinnytsia, who at that time had no material support, except for premises. Employees of DonNU had to search for sponsors and everything necessary for the educational process on their own, with great efforts, and set up work in a new place.

4.2 The full-scale war of 2022 and its consequences for higher education

Even more significant challenges and problems have arisen from a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, causing massive destruction and considerable negative social-economic and humanitarian consequences [35]. As of September 5, 2022, according to Kyiv School of Economics, the total amount of direct losses reached $114.5 billion. 412 industrial enterprises; 1153 cultural, sports, and tourist facilities; 15.3 thousand high-rise buildings and 115.9 thousand private houses; 1118 secondary education institutions; 978 medical institutions, and many other facilities were damaged and destroyed [36].

An analysis of the general situation in the country shows that the greatest risks for the education system are related to the following: 1) large-scale destruction of higher education facilities (educational buildings, laboratories, dormitories, etc.) as a result of bombings and rocket attacks; 2) a direct threat to the life and health of all subjects of the educational process, which caused, at the initial stage of the war, the chaotic departure of teachers and students of educational institutions to safer regions; 3) the necessity of forced relocation of higher educational institutions from the zone of hostilities, which took place both on the initiative of the universities themselves and on the decision of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine; 4) the loss of educational and production practice bases for students as a result of the destruction or relocation of enterprises; 5) a significant loss of the contingent of students and pedagogical and teaching staff as a result of migration and mobilization—a large number of them voluntarily joined the armed forces and territorial defense; 6) use of educational facilities for other purposes; 7) decrease in financial resources of higher education institutions; 8) the loss of managerial educational control over higher education institutions in the territories that have come under temporary occupation or are in the zone of active military operations [37].

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, together with the Institute of Educational Analytics and in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund, Save the Children, and the World Bank, conducted a study of the state and needs of higher education in Ukraine during the war by surveying 749 universities and their separate units [38]. The obtained research results show the presence of such losses and problems.

4.2.1 Educational institutions

131 institutions, or 5.5% of all institutions of higher education, were destroyed. Most of them were in the city of Kharkiv, which has been constantly under fire. About 30 HEIs reported significant losses of laboratory equipment, library funds, educational materials, furniture, and office property. Universities suffer additional losses due to the use of their premises as temporary shelters for internally displaced persons (as noted by 83 surveyed universities). Also, 51 educational institutions indicated losses due to the need to build functional bomb shelters.

4.2.2 Students

The 2022 war has affected 1.5 million youth and over 70,000 foreign students studying in Ukraine. In various universities, from 1 to 30% of students became internally displaced persons or went abroad. For various reasons, almost 24,000 students did not resume their studies. It was revealed that more than 9000 students cannot continue their education due to the inability to pay for it; another significant number (28%) need to work for living; for some students, the reason was overloaded with care and household duties, which prevented them from returning to studies. Also, more than 100 higher education institutions named worsening psychological well-being as one of the reasons for students to stop studying.

4.2.3 Teachers

Many of them joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). For various reasons, about 2000 scientific and pedagogical workers could not continue teaching and scientific activities after February 24, 2022. A significant number of teachers (up to 30% in some universities) became internally displaced persons or went abroad. This has led to a shortage of teaching staff, as reported by 63 surveyed educational institutions. In addition to education, many university employees also engage in humanitarian activities, for example, collecting and sorting humanitarian aid.

4.2.4 Educational activity

All universities of Ukraine, despite the war, continue their activities; in most cases, all or more than half of the students have resumed their studies. More than half of HEIs (57%) provide educational services exclusively online, and 41% use a hybrid format (face-to-face and online). However, there are significant obstacles to quality educational activities: significant power outages and lack of Internet connection, the deterioration of the security situation at the training sites as a result of systematic missile attacks, and lack of technical means for online teaching and learning, which was indicated by almost 40% of respondents. Also, only half of educational institutions have the resources to organize inclusive (online) education for persons with special educational needs (SEN).

4.2.5 Financial position

In most institutions of higher education, the financial situation has worsened due to a decrease in income and an increase in expenses. This is due to: a) a reduction in budget funding. State expenditures on all education decreased by 14.84% of the planned. Financing of preferential long-term loans for obtaining higher education was completely canceled; funding of scientific research and scientific and technical development in higher education institutions was significantly reduced (by almost 20%) ([37], p. 234); b) loss of tuition fees for foreign and Ukrainian students who receive education under a contract form (30% of surveyed educational institutions indicated such losses); c) an increase in costs due to the need to adapt to activities under martial law (relocation, shelter arrangement, etc.). Therefore, about 20% of educational institutions reported that they had interruptions in the payment of salaries to their employees, and 23% had interruptions in the transfer of scholarships to students.

4.2.6 Relocated institutions of higher education

In the course of the full-scale war, many HEIs have appeared in the zone of hostilities. In order to create a safe educational environment for participants in the educational process from the regions where active hostilities are ongoing, in particular, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and certain communities of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions, more than a hundred universities, institutes, colleges, and their separate structural units, amounting to almost 12% of their total number, were relocated in the country. Among them are: Melitopol State Pedagogical University, Kherson National Technical University, Taurida State Agricultural Technological University, Kherson State Maritime Academy, and many others ([37], p. 166–167). Many universities were relocated from the combat zone in Donbas for the second time. All relocated higher education institutions suffered significant losses: 1) personnel potential, which partly remained in the occupied territory and partly went abroad; 2) production areas, laboratories, other material and technical bases, and basic enterprises that were partners for students’ practice; 3) a stable contingent of entrants/students who focused on safer regions of the country or went to study abroad; 4) previous directions and volumes of financing at the expense of the population, enterprises, regions, and the state. Such universities faced great difficulties in settling in new locations, supporting educational process, and recruiting applicants.

4.3 Problems of higher education in the occupied territories

Currently, there are about 1300 schools and 12 universities in the temporarily occupied territories [39]. According to the international norms, the aggressor country must preserve education in the occupied territories in the form it was before the occupation. Russia does not comply with these norms; during the occupation, it primarily subordinates educational institutions to establish control over public opinion and society as a whole. The occupying power changes the educational process in all educational institutions and subordinates it to Russian departments, forcing them to switch to Russian educational programs and standards and switch to teaching exclusively in the Russian language. This educational policy is aimed at destroying the Ukrainian identity. The main risks and problems of education in the territories occupied by Russia are associated with the following processes:

There is an active search for teachers and lecturers loyal to the occupation authorities and their involvement in cooperation through material incentives and the provision of managerial positions. Since there were not many of them, persons without appropriate professional training, as well as teachers from Russia, are involved in the educational process;

Psychological and physical pressures are exerted on teachers (through threats, intimidation, kidnapping, bribery) to force them to work in Russified educational institutions. In Mariupol, which was on the verge of a humanitarian disaster, the occupiers threatened teachers who refused to cooperate to limit access to “humanitarian” aid. In August, the Russian military abducted the principals of lyceums No. 2 and No. 3, Oksana Yakubova and Iryna Dubas, from temporarily occupied Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region. Currently, the fate of these people is unknown [40];

Pressure is exerted on parents, forcing them to send their children to study in Russified educational institutions. In the Zaporizhzhia region and Mariupol, the Russians introduced a three-level system of sanctions for refusal: 1) warning, 2) a fine of 40,000 rubles (which is equivalent to UAH 12,000), and 3) deprivation of parental rights [40];

Ukrainian textbooks and books, primarily textbooks on the history of Ukraine, are being removed from school and university libraries, and they have been replaced with Russian textbooks and teaching aids.

Russian occupiers loot and take away the property of educational institutions. The mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said that the invaders had taken away the property of music and art school, which was new, recently reconstructed with the help of European donors. Furniture, equipment, and LED screens [41] were exported;

Russian troops often place warehouses with weapons in the premises of educational institutions; therefore, there is a very high probability of provocations by the Russians, which endanger the participants of the educational process.

Some of the children and young people who remained in the occupied territories continued to study remotely at Ukrainian educational institutions. However, such training faces obstacles, such as: frequent cases of lack of mobile communication; a significant risk is the security situation, as the occupying power persecutes the families of such pupils and students.

5. Problems of security and preservation of infrastructure, personnel potential, and student contingent of Ukrainian universities

Universities, according to the international humanitarian law, are civilian objects without military purpose, so they should not be the object of armed attacks and shelling. However, Russia does not pay attention to this, as in other massive cases of violations of the international legal norms. Therefore, the shelling of Ukrainian universities is a targeted action and not an isolated case. Higher education institutions and their separate units were most affected in those regions located in the front-line zones – Kharkiv (1 higher education institution was destroyed, 23 were damaged), Donetsk (3 HEIs were destroyed, 9 damaged), Zaporizhzhia (5 HEIs were destroyed, 2 damaged), and Mykolaiv (5 HEIs were damaged), but universities in other regions were also destroyed and are constantly in the risk zone [42]. Below, there is information on some cities and universities.

5.1 Information about the destruction of individual cities and universities

5.1.1 Kharkiv

Before the war, Kharkiv was considered to be a student city based on quantitative and qualitative indicators. The city had 40 institutions of higher education, where more than 160,000 students studied, including about 12,000 foreign students. In various international rankings, Kharkiv universities held leading positions among Ukrainian representatives and were consistently included in the TOP-1000 best higher education institutions in the world. The shelling of Kharkiv began from the first days of the war. Most of the city’s universities suffered devastating blows: Kharkiv National University of Construction and Architecture, State Biotechnology University, Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy, Ukrainian State University of Railway Transport, the building of the National Academy of Management under the President of Ukraine, and Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology. The greatest damage was caused to the oldest university of Ukraine, founded in 1804, Kharkiv National University named after Karazin. The building of the Faculty of Economics, Karazin Business School, and the university sports complex “Unifecht” were completely destroyed; two central buildings, the Museum of Nature, and the campus with dormitories were severely damaged. The Faculty of Physics and Technology was under constant shelling, which became one of the most affected [43]. Despite the proposals of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, the university refused to evacuate to another city, believing that Karazin University is the heart of Kharkiv and their destinies are indivisible. The university created backup facilities (servers to ensure electronic document flow and remote educational process) on the basis of Poltava Polytechnic University and on March 28, resumed its educational and scientific process in a remote form.

5.1.2 Mykolaiv

In the morning of July 15, two of the city’s largest universities were hit by shelling: Mykolaiv National University named after Sukhomlynskyi and Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding (NUS). Mykolaiv National University was hit by four rockets that destroyed the facade, walls, roof, and offices and damaged windows and doors, furniture, and equipment. Five rockets hit Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding, as a result of which a fire broke out on a total area of 100 square meters. There was partial damage to the building: two wings of the fifth and sixth floors were destroyed; windows and doors in the auditoriums, reading room, and sports hall were damaged. On August 19, the shipbuilding university was shelled again. Two rockets destroyed the main building, which fell down from the fourth floor to the basement [44].

5.1.3 Kyiv

On October 10, Russia carried out a powerful missile strike across Ukraine, which hit the center of the Ukrainian capital, causing damage to the buildings of the country’s main university, Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University [45].

5.2 Features of the activities of institutions of higher education during the war

Institutions of higher education have a significant specificity of activity during the war, especially in front and near-front regions. The main tasks are to survive and to provide high-quality educational services, to keep teaching staff and students adapting to new operating conditions. In accordance with the challenges of the war, the higher education institutions of Ukraine took the following ways of solving these tasks: they resumed educational activities at the first opportunity, transferring education to an online or hybrid offline/online format of work; searched for foreign sites for face-to-face training and communication support between teachers and students who have left; intensified the establishment of international partnership relations for support and assistance; and organized admissions process for the 2022/2023 academic year.

It should be noted that the universities lost a significant part of their student contingent as a result of the war. The admissions campaign also highlighted the acute problem of attracting young people to universities. For example, as of September 5, Karazin University received about 7700 applications, Sumy State University got 3800, and Black Sea National University, named after Petro Mohyla, received about a thousand applications [46]. In the previous year, 2021, the number of applications to these higher education institutions was several times greater. As a result of mobilization, migration, and mortality from hostilities, higher education institutions are losing customers of educational services. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, in 2022, 131 thousand school graduates entered higher educational institutions of Ukraine; last year, there were 239 thousand graduates. Such reduction threatens the existence of universities and institutes.

An example of the impact of the war on the universities of Ukraine is the fate of Dahl East Ukrainian National University [47], which was relocated twice from occupied Luhansk and was one of the leading universities of Ukraine before the war. In 2010, the total number of students, postgraduates, doctoral students, and trainees studying at the university in all forms of education was more than 30,000 people. The structure of the university included the following: 8 institutes and 17 faculties in the cities of Luhansk, Severodonetsk, Krasnodon, Rubizhne, Anthracit, Yalta, Yevpatoria, Feodosia, and Skadovsk; Institute of postgraduate education and distance learning; University College; Severodonetsk Chemical and Mechanical Technical School; Centre for pre-university training and career guidance. Powerful material and technical base were located in 57 educational buildings and laboratories with a total area of about 230,000 square meters. There were 8 dormitories with 4000 places, 6 canteens, 12 buffets, medical centers, stadiums, sports buildings, summer sports facilities, and so on [48].

In September 2014, due to the armed aggression of Russia, the university was temporarily moved to the city of Severodonetsk to the Technological Institute, which was the base of its separate structural unit. At the same time, the university lost not only material base but also almost half of the teachers and most of the students. The intense work of employees during 2014–2022 made it possible to restore educational and scientific activities and create new sites and laboratories. In 2021, the university entered the QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia University Rankings for the first time.

Since February 24, 2022, after the full-scale invasion of Russia, Severodonetsk has appeared in the zone of intense hostilities; the university was again moved to new locations – the cities of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi, and Dnipro, but later it was forced to move to the city of Kyiv. The university completely lost its material base newly created during the 8 years, 5% of the teaching staff, and more than 50% of the non-teaching staff, as well as the share of students. However, on March 14, 2022, the university resumed online work. The total number of applicants as of June 2022 was 3604 people, of which 1769 people (49%) were ordered by the state and 1835 people (51%) were paid by individuals, including many who could not pay for education [48]. The university found itself in a very vulnerable position, since all sites in the relocation cities were provided temporarily, and from the side of other universities of Ukraine, there was no support but competition for students.

In her speech at the annual forum of the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), Olga Porkuyan, the Rector of Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, vividly spoke about the destructive impact of the war on the educational and scientific environment in Ukraine: the physical destruction and destruction of university buildings and other institutions, the material base, infrastructure as a result of shelling and bombings; difficult psychological condition of teachers, scientists and students due to the loss of loved ones, housing, property, constant danger and uncertainty, unsatisfactory everyday opportunities for work; a significant decrease in the funding of scientific research; closure of some scientific projects; loss by universities of traditional customers of scientific developments and scientific-technical services in connection with the closing of industrial enterprises, their destruction or the impossibility of evacuating business from the occupied territories; dispersion of scientific personnel throughout the country and abroad, which may lead to the disintegration of scientific schools; disruption of the usual connections among various institutions, impossibility to implement some joint projects [49].

Despite all the losses and difficulties, the team of Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University continues to provide educational services and tries to survive and preserve its university in these difficult conditions. For this purpose, the Strategy of the university in the conditions of evacuation - 2.0 (2022–2023) was developed and approved by the decision of the Academic Council of the university on September 30, 2022. The strengths of the university include the presence of experience in restoring activities and adapting to new conditions after relocation, as well as significant adaptation potential of employees. Strategic directions of the university are the following:

• quality of education: restoration of the educational process and educational activity;

• science and research: preservation and development of scientific potential;

• development of Dahl community: values, communications, and reputation;

• internationalization of educational, scientific, and social activities: expansion and deepening of cooperation with foreign partners and international organizations [48].

6. Immediate and long-term consequences of the war for higher education in Ukraine

The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attacks notes that violent attacks on higher education occur in many conflict situations around the world and have a detrimental impact on higher education, destroying critical educational infrastructure, depleting valuable resources, and creating obstacles to educational access, achievement, and quality. All these factors also can be applied to Ukraine. As noted by Sameerah T Saeed and Patrick Blessinger (2022), educational systems often face problems due to low resistance to conflict. Conflict can have devastating consequences in contexts where educational systems are unstable or under-resourced. An example is given of the war in Iraq, where the chaos and displacement of millions led to the destruction, looting, or burning of 84% of higher education institutions [50]. Ukraine has a fairly developed education system, which is characterized by considerable stability. Therefore, military actions caused significant damage to it but did not completely destroy it, as evidenced by the continuation of the educational process at both schools and universities, which, in the conditions of the war, not only provide educational process but also hold scientific conferences. The war continues, and the sum of losses for higher education in Ukraine has not yet ended. However, we can already talk about the short-term and long-term consequences of the war for the higher education system of Ukraine.

6.1 Problems of higher education in Ukraine during the war and approaches to their solution

The war started by Russia has caused a number of serious current problems in Ukrainian higher education as follows: forced resettlement of a significant number of students and university teachers to different regions of Ukraine and abroad, which disrupted the normal process of communication and cooperation in the learning process; the destruction and damage of educational institutions as a result of hostilities and missile attacks—the impossibility of their restoration during the war; a significant decrease in the financial resources of higher education institutions and opportunities to support educational infrastructure and material incentives for employees of higher education institutions; frequent interruptions in the educational process due to hostilities—risks during missile attacks, lack of electricity and the Internet, which lead to a decrease in the amount of educational material provided during classes and worsen the assimilation of knowledge and lower the quality of education. All these negative processes have led to the fact that the operating conditions of higher educational institutions of Ukraine significantly have worsened due to the loss of material and human assets, decrease in the number of students, which has put many higher education institutions on the verge of survival.

At the same time, the war has forced higher education institutions to mobilize and adapt their activities to new challenges and conditions. To ensure the educational process, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and institutions of higher education have transformed the organizational forms and methods of higher education in the conditions of military operations, which includes the following [37]:

expanding the autonomy of higher education institutions in the organization of the educational process. Decisions about the training format (online or offline) and its calendar schedule are made by the administration of higher education institutions from a safe position for students and teachers;

extensive use of digital technologies in the educational process to ensure distance learning process, improve qualifications of the teaching staff in the field of digital skills, and develop distance courses;

organizational and legal support for the transfer of higher education institutions from the occupied and front-line territories to safer regions;

support of forced national and international academic mobility of students, as well as referral to study at foreign universities;

provision of special support to residents of temporarily occupied territories to continue their studies or enroll in Ukrainian institutions of higher education;

development of research activities of universities, including those related to solving problems of crisis situations, with the needs of defense;

intensifying contacts and expanding partnerships with foreign universities and colleges in educational and scientific activities, using various forms of international cooperation to preserve the educational institution and solve its problems.

As Anatolii Babichev, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work of Kazarin Kharkiv National University, stated: “Today, the university has more opportunities than there were before. Today we started to find even more new friends, new partners. Before the war, for about 20 years we were engaged in the branding of the university. And it was during the last six months that we managed to move on. For example, our alumni associations around the world became more active and began to take a more active part in the life of the university. In addition to humanitarian and financial aid, more partnership proposals and new projects began to appear” [46].

The challenges caused by war in the long term create new opportunities for the transformation of the higher education system to a new qualitative level. According to Sameerah T Saeed and Patrick Blessinger [50], “after the war in Ukraine, higher education institutions will be forced to adapt to new realities and opportunities. The devastation left behind by the conflict will give universities an opportunity to rethink their role and their place in society.”

War and destruction should become an impetus to change approaches in the restoration of the higher education system of Ukraine. It should not be just an improvement of the existing system, which in many respects is a legacy of the Soviet Union, but the creation of an innovative model of higher education that is able to respond to the challenges of modern society. The National Declaration of Ukraine on the commitment to transform education, posted on the website of the UN national declarations, states: “It is necessary to carry out system-wide transformations, including the use of flexible teaching methods, rapid response to changes in the security situation, implementation of catch-up programmes and tools based on in-depth training and skills gap assessment” [51].

6.2 Formation of new vectors of development of higher education in Ukraine

The Ukrainian system of higher education will not just have to be rebuilt but radically reformed, which is facilitated by the transformations accelerated by the war, which form new vectors of development of higher education in Ukraine.

6.2.1 Flexibility and adaptability

During the war, the level of flexibility in the organization of university activities increased. This process should be expanded, especially with regard to the content of education and the formation of modern competencies, which must be radically revised in accordance with the trends of the national economy, labor market demands, and personnel needs of Ukraine both during the war and for the reconstruction of the economy. The Institute of Educational Analytics has developed proposals for changes in the directions and scope of personnel training in the war and post-war period [52]. Most universities have already started to do this; for example, Vayl’ Stus Donetsk National University has introduced the Master’s educational program “Management of post-conflict territories” [53].

6.2.2 Broad implementation of information technologies

1. deepening of the digital transformation of the educational process. It is due to digital technologies that Ukraine has managed to ensure the continuity and safety of the educational process in the conditions of military operations. The application site “All-Ukrainian School Online” has been developed, where all educational materials for pupils and students of grades 1–11 are posted. Ukrainian TV channels broadcast video lessons for schoolchildren in grades 5–11 as part of the “Education without Borders” project [54]. All universities have switched to online education. Currently, all university teachers have mastered the distance learning method and developed online courses in their subjects. This policy should be further expanded and deepened by building an ecosystem of digital education;

2. the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in HEIs, which is currently actively involved in leading countries to improve the quality of education. Education with the involvement of AI allows to personalize learning, taking into account the individuality of a student, and to deepen its content.

6.2.3 Development of university science

The war has shown that the loss of a university’s scientific potential can put it beyond the limits of survival. University managers have felt and understood this. “If there is no scientific and industrial growth in universities, then they will not have a future,” said the rector of Sumy State University, Vasyl Karpusha, at the online discussion “Universities in the Line of Fire” [46]. Therefore, better conditions should be created for the generation of new knowledge by university scientists and their implementation both in the educational process and in the sphere of economic activity. The development of the research and production potential of universities and strengthened cooperation with business and foreign partners in the field of science should be ensured. It should be noted that in this difficult time, most universities organize and hold scientific conferences, present their scientific works, and, at the same time, involve international partners in them.

6.2.4 Activation of international cooperation

The war has given a powerful impetus to the establishment of contacts with foreign partners. International academic and scientific cooperation should be strengthened. Many international projects and Ukrainian initiatives contribute to this. Thus, the “Twinning” project has united almost 90 Ukrainian universities with foreign institutions of higher education for long-term cooperation. To date, 144 universities from Ukraine have registered to participate in the project. Thanks to the support of the Association of Universities of the United Kingdom, leading British universities have joined the project, and their example has intensified interest in the event of universities of the EU, Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand [55].

6.2.5 Optimizing the number of higher education institutions

Ukraine currently has an excessive number of various institutions of higher education, among which many are small and are unable to provide high-quality education services. The task of optimizing their number has long been relevant. The war has accelerated this process, which can be seen on the example of individual displaced universities, which took the path of unification in order to strengthen the educational and scientific potential. Thus, in 2022, Luhansk National Agrarian University was reorganized into the Agrarian Faculty of Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University [47]. The government plan for the post-war recovery of Ukraine, in the section on the recovery of education and science, provides for the reorganization of higher education institutions by creating one large regional university on the basis of existing higher education institutions [56]. This requires a balanced approach, which cannot be implemented by administrative coercion but only on the basis of achieving competitive advantages in the field of providing educational and research services. This approach cannot be applied to large educational centers, such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Lviv, where several powerful universities operate.

6.2.6 Expanding financial autonomy and changing economic status of universities

The financial support of higher education in Ukraine has always been insufficient, since 63% of higher education institutions are state-owned, and the state provides 77% of the total volume of financing of higher education [57]. As a result, most universities had a shortage of funds, which did not allow modernizing educational and research base of universities and providing decent remuneration for university teachers. A low level of financial autonomy does not allow managing available funds and property and attracting investments from businesses and grants from foundations. The war has reduced the possibilities of state financing of education, and the ability of households to pay for higher education services have also deteriorated. Therefore, the financial condition of universities has deteriorated significantly. In the field of higher education, there is an urgent task of changing the management system and providing financial autonomy, which is possible through the corporatization or privatization of universities, creation of endowment funds, and widespread introduction of the system of long-term interest-free loans for education.

The war has presented many serious challenges to the education of Ukraine in the field of education functioning and the formation of highly qualified personnel for the war and post-war economy as follows:

firstly, the creation of safe conditions for education and training of higher education personnel now, in the conditions of military operations, which is an obvious condition for the survival of education and prevention of its destruction. This is done by setting up a safe shelter in educational institutions for the organization of stationary training and by switching to a distance form of training;

secondly, restoring normal learning process and improving the quality of education. Constant interruptions in the learning process and its instability in the conditions of frequent power outages and the Internet reduce the quality of the educational process. This is also due to the transition of many higher education institutions exclusively to distance education, which requires a high level of self-organization of students to master academic disciplines. In order not to lose the current generation of children and youth in terms of education, conditions must be created for a faster return to classroom forms of education;

thirdly, preserving the contingent of students, including those who have gone abroad, and providing, if possible, quality education for the formation of sustainable knowledge and professional competences. This is done through the development of modern online courses in all subjects and methodical online provision of practical classes and knowledge control, the use of individual approaches and flexible asynchronous forms of work, and the development of educational video content. However, the lack of live contacts does not contribute to strengthening the university community;

fourth, preservation of personnel potential for further development of the higher education system in the war and post-war periods. This is one of the most important aspects, since many teachers have left Ukraine. Therefore, it is necessary to develop programs for the return and support of professors and teaching staff of universities, training of graduate students and doctoral students, the implementation of scientific projects, and active development of cooperation with foreign universities and colleagues.

It is clear that solving most of the current problems of higher education and creating conditions for its development are possible only after the end of the war. At the same time, the development of international cooperation in the field of education is very important.

7. Conclusions

The war started by Russia has caused enormous damage to the education system, which creates great risks for the post-war development of Ukraine. The following conclusions were made on the basis of the conducted research.

The increase in global instability and the prevalence of armed conflicts in the world endanger the education system and human development of the countries on whose territories military actions are taking place. This also applies to Ukraine as a result of the war unleashed by Russia back in 2014, which took place initially in a hybrid format, and from February 2022, is taking place in the form of a full-scale armed confrontation, covering almost a fifth of the territory of Ukraine. Currently, brutal military actions threaten the lives of the population, economic and social spheres, including higher education, which is of key importance for the formation of the country’s human and intellectual capital, the formation of the worldview, and the future of the nation.

Many international organizations, including UNESCO, UNICEF, and the Global Coalition for the Protection of Education from Attacks (GCPEA), take care of the problems of education in the conditions of armed conflicts and are also analyzing the state and problems of education during the war in Ukraine and providing various assistance. Education in the conditions of war is the object of analysis by numerous foreign and domestic researchers who study various risks and losses in the field of education and their threats to society. The purpose of the author’s research is to analyze the impact of the war in Ukraine on the system of higher education, the losses suffered and the forced transformation processes that form new vectors of development and modernization of higher education in the course of post-war reconstruction.

On the eve of the 2022 war, Ukraine had a significant number of higher education institutions capable of training specialists for the economy. As of February 10, 2022, there were 336 universities, academies, and institutes and 96 schools, technical schools, and colleges in which 1.34 million students studied. Over the past two decades, the system of higher education has been gradually modernized; the process of its integration into the European Higher Education Area has intensified, which has contributed to the improvement of the positions of Ukrainian universities in international rankings. Despite the existence of many problems in higher education in Ukraine, it developed in accordance with the world trends, but this development has been interrupted by Russia’s armed aggression.

The consequences of the 2014–2021 hybrid war were significant losses of the territory, economic potential, and gross domestic product and a large number of internally displaced persons. For higher education, this led to a significant reduction in budget funding; the loss of a part of universities and colleges, the student contingent, and teaching staff who remained in the occupied territories; and switching to studying according to Russian programs and standards. On their own initiative, 18 universities relocated to the territory controlled by Ukraine and had to resume their educational activities with great difficulty.

The full-scale war of 2022 has led to significant destruction of higher education institutions, mass internal and external migration of students and teachers, and suspension of the educational process and its transfer to a distance format. Currently, 131 institutions, or 5.5% of all institutions of higher education, have been destroyed or damaged. The higher school has lost a significant part of teachers and students as a result of migration and mobilization—a large number of them voluntarily joined the armed forces and territorial defense. Despite the fact that the educational process has resumed mainly in a distance format, frequent and long power outages and the absence of the Internet make effective learning impossible. As a result of large-scale destruction and violations of the educational process, Ukraine is at risk of losing the current generation of children and youth in terms of education, which will negatively affect the formation of the country’s human capital.

At the same time, the war accelerates educational transformations that form new vectors for the development of higher education in Ukraine. These include the following: increasing the flexibility and adaptability of higher education institutions, wide implementation of information technologies in the organization of the educational process, stimulation of the development of university science, activation of international cooperation, optimization of the number of higher education institutions through their integration and consolidation, and expansion of financial autonomy of universities. This will make it possible to ensure the post-war development of higher education in Ukraine and its effective integration into the European area of higher education.

Currently, higher education in Ukraine needs to strengthen the protection against military attacks and destruction. Sansom Milton, Ghassan Elkahlout & Sultan Barakat [14], based on the analysis of international experience, systematized main areas of protection, such as the following: limiting the military use of university premises; strengthening university autonomy to protect higher education from politicization and ideological manipulation; physical protection, including blast-proof walls, shatter-resistant glass, and surveillance cameras; supporting the mobility of displaced students, scientists, and universities to leave conflict zones; alternative distance forms of higher education; and university conflict preparedness – training on what to do during attacks, developing evacuation plans and sharing information during crises. Ukraine uses most of these directions. At the same time, the experience of organizing training during the war in Ukraine has revealed the need for broader measures related not only directly to educational institutions but also in general to the protection of infrastructure. In conditions of high risks of massive rocket attacks, this concerns primarily the protection of energy and utility infrastructure, since power outages and Internet absence do not allow universities to organize training even remotely.