A school year came to an end. Graduates of institutes of higher education are passing last exams and getting ready for being adults. It is time to sum up work of educational system in “Luhansk people’s republic”.

During last year authorities have been promising to give Russian school leaving certificates to graduates of Luhansk schools. Ex-minister of education in “LPR” Lesya Lapteva announced that graduates will be able to enter Russian universities with those certificates.

4500 people have graduated from Luhansk schools in 2015. What future waits for these people? Will they get education and diplomas valid beyond the “republic”? We’ll try to answer these questions.

 “Wolf’s ticket” instead of a school leaving certificate

After a shameful demarche of Lapteva and change of administration in the “ministry” rhetoric of authorities of the education system in “young republic” has considerably changed.

At first acting minister of education of the “LPR” Igor Gorganov and then a new minister of education Valentina Tkachenko started to appeal school graduates to continue their education in “republican” universities.

Authorities have also informed that children can continue education on the territory of the RF and they will get such opportunity.

Today the “Ministry of Education” of the “LPR” in cooperation with the “Ministry of Transport” arranged delivery of Luhansk graduates to Rostov region to pass SSE (EGE – single state exam). To get access to Russian SSE Luhansk graduates have to finish education in Russian schools without attending classes.

Parents of one Luhansk school graduate reported that his school curator agitated graduates to enter “republican” universities and technical secondary schools, she told that it would be too expensive to pass SSE in Russia and tried to confirm them, that their local graduation certificates will be valid by the moment when they will be university’s graduates.

Valentina Tkachenko announced that the most part of people went to pass Russian language – 800 graduates, it means that not more than 800 Luhansk children went to the RF.

“The minister of education in LPR” Valentina Tkachenko

 Let’s count – about 800 people out of 4,5 thousand graduates will pass SSE, which means that more than 3,5 thousand children will get graduation certificates of the “LPR”, which will give them opportunity to enter only local universities.

Where to find students?

Popularity of Luhansk universities was very high before the war. Students from other regions of Ukraine studied there. There were many international students, who came because of low price of education in local universities.

The biggest part of international students left the Luhansk region last spring because of well-known sad events. Students from other regions of Ukraine will not come this year too. It creates a disastrous lack of university entrants. It can become a serious problem for propaganda doctrine of the “LPR”, which is built upon a notion that young republic is gradually “getting up from its knees”. What is the way out?

The way is to create such conditions for graduates, which will make them enter only local universities. “Very few people believe now in promises of current authorities. Several children from my son’s class decided not to pass INT (Internal National Testing) and SSI and wait for the next year. People believe that things will change for the best” – Vera – the mother of Luhansk graduate tells.

Russian diplomas – another promise?

During last academic year authorities promised Luhansk graduates Russian diplomas. But those were just promises. This year about 4000 graduates will get “republican” diplomas. Number of those students, who will get Russian diplomas is unknown.

Valentina Tkachenko “LPR’s minister of education” told Luhanskinformcenter that all universities’ graduates, who will defend their diplomas in Russia will get Russian documents. Valentina Tkachenko noted that education in republic is on high level.

As we see, the “ministry” has put aside this question: want Russian diploma – go to Rostov/Belgorod/Voronezh regions, pass exams and get your diploma.

There is no need to remind, that financial conditions of the most part of families are very bad, and parents don’t have an opportunity to send their children to Russia. Some people don’t get even tiny salaries, students got only one scholarship this year.

Nevertheless, first 22 graduates of the Agricultural university of the “LPR” got desired Russian diplomas on May 28th. Igor Plotnitskiy gave them personally. But it is still a secret whether other students will get Russian diplomas.

Steal future …

Despite all emotions and effected patriotism, actions of the most part of republican authorities and their advocates are driven by the proverb – “the worse things are, the better it would be”.

Almost the same is happening in the education system of the young republic – significant number of graduates will not get valid diplomas and graduation certificates, 3500 school graduates – to be clear.

All those people can just hope to continue education and then – forget about a professional job beyond “republics”. There is no need to remind about a field for self-realization of “young specialists” in republics at the moment.

Aleksey Chernov for the Informator.lg.ua