Civil society groups launch campaign for students from occupied and frontline areas

This year, several civil society organizations have united to launch an information campaign aimed at facilitating the admission of students from temporarily occupied and frontline territories to Ukrainian universities. The collaboration between public organizations and government agencies is expected to yield significant results.

Valentina Potapova, Head of the National Advocacy Department at the Almenda Center for Civic Education, announced this initiative during a press conference at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.

“Unfortunately, in 2022, the size of the temporarily occupied territories doubled. Previously, they made up 13% of Ukraine’s territory, but now, according to our president, it is 26%. The educational centers have yet to update their names; they are still called ‘Crimea – Ukraine’ and ‘Donbas – Ukraine.’ This does not accurately reflect other occupied regions like Zaporizhia and Kherson. We are also witnessing a significant offensive in the Kharkiv region, where information access is severely restricted due to limited Internet access and blocked websites. This is why the unification of several public organizations into a robust information campaign is crucial. We have come together because past efforts were fragmented, but this year we recognized the need for collective action. The synergy of civil society organizations, educational centers, and government agencies can produce a different, more impactful result,” she said.

Additionally, the NGOs that united this year have jointly developed the website Entrance 2024 for people from temporarily occupied and frontline territories. This resource provides all necessary information for applicants from these areas seeking admission to higher education institutions.

Valentina Potapova stressed the importance of the entire Ukrainian society supporting this campaign, highlighting its significance for young people aiming to enter Ukrainian universities.

Notably, on June 1, Ukraine will launch a simplified university admission campaign to streamline this rigorous process and ensure seamless experience for applicants from these regions. 

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news