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ENIC UKRAINE
National Information Centre
of Academic Mobility

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BASIC SECONDARY EDUCATION

The basic secondary school (5-9 grades) is the second level of complete general secondary education that teaches foundational skills of learning and personal growth, and prepares students for further education and specialization. Aiming at this, basic secondary schools create an environment for independent in-depth learning of specific subjects, important for the choice of further profile education.

Learning conditions at basic secondary school, as a rule, differ from the primary level: new subjects and study setting are introduced, teachers and student groups change as well. The number of students in one class may be up to 30.

Institutions. Pupils, as a rule, acquire basic secondary education in gymnasiums – general educational institutions of the II level, which can function independently or as structural units of other institutions.

Program duration. The duration of the basic secondary program is 5 years.

Classes. The duration of classes is typically 45 minutes.

Assessment. The assessment of students' learning outcomes can be done according to the 12-point assessment system defined by legislation or according to an institution's own scale at the discretion of the institution. Most often institutions use the 12-point system with grades from 1 to 12 (high).

Graduation. The 9th grade is the graduation year for students at this level. Learning outcomes are assessed by the State Final Attestation (exams). The content, forms, procedure and terms of the assessment are approved annually by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in the 2020/2021 academic year, graduates of basic secondary school were exempted from the State Final Attestation exams. The exemption continued for the next two years, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, for safety reasons during martial law.

Educational document. Graduates of the basic secondary education (9th grade) are awarded the Certificate of Basic Secondary Education with transcript of grades. In cases of excellent performance (all grades are 10, 11 and 12), the Certificate of Basic Secondary Education with Honors is awarded. The Certificate of Basic Secondary Education gives the right to continue education at upper secondary schools or technical and vocational institutions.


Historical profile:

Basic secondary education up to 2018


This information has been produced with the financial assistance of the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Primary education (1-4 grades) is the first stage of complete general secondary education, beginning of intellectual, physical, and social development of children. In the primary school, children acquire their first life experiences, study and social behavior skills.

In 2018/2019 academic year first-grade students started 12-year secondary education program of the New Ukrainian School. The complete transition to the 12-year school education system shall take place in 2027, please read more detail here.

Educational institutions. Children acquire primary education in general second education institutions of the I level that operate independently or as parts of general secondary education institutions of the I-II and I-III levels. The average number of students in classes is usually up to 24.

Program duration. In Ukraine, primary schooling takes four years. Children usually start school at the age of six, and the latest at the age of seven. Children with special educational needs can start education at a older age, in which case the program duration can be extended, and the program for these children is usually supplemented with rehabilitation and developmental component.

Classes. In accordance with the sanitary and hygienic regulations, classes in primary school have the duration of 35 minutes in the first year, and 40 minutes in the second, third and fourth years. Schools have a 5-day week. However, specialized schools with intensive foreign language classes may have a 6-day academic week.

Assessment. Learning outcomes in primary school are usually assessed verbally. In grades three and four, at the choice of an educational institution, students can receive verbal or level assessments, which can be expressed both orally and in writing. The level assessment is a gradual transition from verbal assessment in primary school to grading in basic secondary school. The verbal evaluation may be expressed in the following words: "have significant success", "demonstrate noticeable progress", "achieve results with external help", "need attention and help"; the assessment levels used are the following: "initial", "average", "sufficient", "high".

Graduation. The fourth year is the graduation year in the primary school. It ends with the State Final Attestation (exams), most often in the Ukrainian language or the language of study, reading and mathematics. The State Final Attestation in primary school is carried out only for the purpose of monitoring the quality of educational activities of institutions and the quality of education. The content, forms, procedure and terms of attestation are annually approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the primary school graduates were exempted from the State Final Attestation exams in 2020/2021 academic year. And exemption continued for the next two academic years, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, for safety reasons during the martial law in Ukraine.

Learning outcomes of the primary education are the following:

  • proficiency in speaking, reading, computational skills and physical skills;
  • general knowledge of the world;
  • sufficiently developed thinking, imagination, memory, and sensor skills;
  • creative self-expression skills;
  • valuing work, art, and health; and
  • ability to perform simple creative tasks.

Educational documents. After completing primary school graduates are awarded the Certificate of Primary Education with the results of the annual assessment and State Final Attestation (if not exempted).


Historical profile:

Primary education up to 2018


This information has been produced with the financial assistance of the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe.

Main

NATIONAL INFORMATION CENTRE OF ACADEMIC MOBILITY

The National Information Centre of Academic Mobility was established in 2011 by Resolution No 924 of the Cabinet of Ministers, dated August 31, 2011. The functions of the National Information Centre of Academic Mobility are now delegated to the State Enterprise Information and Image Centre of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The central tasks of the Centre are to:

  • ensure free access of concerned bodies and the countries-signatories of the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region to information regarding the specifics of the national system of education integration into the European academic environment;
  • provide citizens and concerned bodies with information and explanations as regards academic mobility and recognition of documents confirming education;
  • verify the authenticity of documents confirming education issued by educational institutions in Ukraine and other countries;
  • organize expert examinations to establish equivalency of qualifications awarded in accordance with education confirming documents issued by educational institutions in other countries;
  • take part in the preparation of drafts of bilateral and/or multilateral inter-governmental qualification recognition agreements;
  • carry out measures to promote on foreign markets the academic services provided by Ukrainian educational institutions, specifically to persuade foreign citizens to come to Ukraine for a higher education;
  • take part in international exchange programs for pupils, students, and postgraduates;
  • provide organizational support for study, internship, or professional advancement of the Ukrainian citizens in the educational institutions of other countries.

Apart from these tasks, the Centre acts on behalf of Ukraine within the operational framework of the international network of European national information centres for academic recognition and mobility (hereinafter referred as the information network), in particular:

  • implementing the “single window” principle in practice to provide information about national education legislation, qualification-awarding procedure, accreditation status of Ukrainian educational institutions, licensing of academic services, issuance of education-confirming documents and confirmation of their authenticity;
  • performing real-time information exchange within the information network to ensure the effective operation of the recognition mechanism of education-confirming documents issued in Ukraine and other Convention signatory countries;
  • taking part in information and research programs, workshops and other events held within the information network, considering the introduction of the latest academic mobility standards developed by Convention signatory countries.

This website offers information about the education system in Ukraine: its structure, knowledge assessment system, licensing and accreditation of local institutions of higher learning, and the regulatory framework governing the education sector. The website also has a list of Ukrainian institutions of higher learning and specimens of Ukrainian education confirming documents of various times on display.

We will be glad to answer any questions you may have about the education system in Ukraine.

ENIC-NARIC NETWORK

The ENIC-NARIC Network is a network of national information centres of academic recognition and mobility (ENIC Network). It was established in 1994 by the Council of Europe and UNESCO for creating and adopting a single European diploma and qualification recognition policy and practice.

The ENIC Network works in close cooperation with the network of national recognition information centres of the European Union (NARIC Network) whose operation is supported by the European Commission in the person of the Director General for Education and Culture.

Additional information is available on the indicated website.

Structure and Tasks

The ENIC information network consists of national information centres of the countries-signatories of the European Cultural Convention and countries within the European region of UNESCO. An ENIC centre is an organization created by the national government of each country.

Such centres in different countries may differ in terms of size or competence, but they are required to provide information regarding the following issues:

  • recognition of foreign diplomas, academic degrees, and qualifications;
  • the education system in the country and other countries;
  • and the possibility to obtain an education abroad, as well as other practical issues regarding mobility and recognition.

The potential clients of ENIC-NARIC are:

  • students and their parents;
  • employers;
  • educational institutions;
  • representatives of ministries dealing with higher education issues;
  • and other concerned persons and organizations.

Students contemplating studying abroad are strongly advised to find the necessary information before they make their final decision to make sure that the diploma/qualification they will obtain will be recognized in their home country.

The ENIC Network representatives convene annually for a general meeting to discuss academic recognition and mobility issues. In the periods between such meetings, working groups work on specific problems. The ENIC Network plays an important role in the exchange of education-related information among national centres, which helps in resolving issues associated with the recognition of education-confirming documents.
The ENIC Network board convenes 2-3 times a year.

Activities of Working Groups

Current policy and information activity issues within the ENIC Network are addressed by the working groups, which later present their positions on the issues before annual meetings of the Network. The subjects falling within the purview of the working groups include:

  • recognition problems in the Bologna Process;
  • translational education;
  • Diploma Supplement;
  • evaluation criteria and procedures for foreign qualifications and periods of studing;
  • qualifications for international access to education, Europe-USA;
  • mutual recognition of qualifications; and
  • electronic recognition information.