The Education Ombudsman proposes to revise the system of awarding school graduates with medals and explains why
Kyiv • UNN
The number of medal winners among school graduates in Ukraine has increased by 141% in 6 years. The Education Ombudsman proposes to revise the awarding system, as medals do not give advantages when applying to universities.
In Ukraine, the number of medal winners among 11th grade graduates has increased by 141.36% in 6 years. However, the increase in the number of medal winners does not reflect the real state of education. Also, receiving a medal does not give advantages when applying to a higher education institution.
Therefore, Education Ombudsman Serhiy Gorbachev proposes to revise the system of awarding school graduates with medals, UNN reports.
While researching the issue of awarding medals to graduates who have completed secondary education, we found that the number of medal winners in Ukraine is increasing every year. We analyzed the data on the number of medals purchased over the past 6 years on Prozorro
He noted that according to these data, from 2019 to 2024:
- the number of medals purchased increased from 11.4 thousand to 24.8 thousand, i.e. by 117.54%;
- the number of medalists increased from 10.1 thousand to 24.3 thousand, i.e. an increase of 141.36%;
- the number of graduates increased from 185 thousand people to 231 thousand people, i.e. by only 24.67%;
- the ratio of the number of gold medalists to the number of graduates increased from 3.1% in 2019 to 8.2% in 2024;
- the ratio of silver medal winners to the number of graduates remains approximately 2% from year to year.
Gorbachev wrote that a detailed table with the data analysis can be viewed on the website of the educational ombudsman:
Given that during this period the COVID-19 pandemic continued, and since 2022 a full-scale invasion has been underway, some children are studying remotely, and all studies show a decline in the quality of education and significant educational losses, it can be argued that today the increase in the number of medalists does not reflect the real state of education
In January 2024, the website of the Educational Ombudsman reported that receiving a medal does not give advantages when applying to a higher education institution, but it does give it when applying to a vocational (vocational-technical) education institution. At that time, it was noted that in 2023 the state spent UAH 1.8 million to purchase 21.3 thousand medals, and in 2022 - UAH 1.77 million to purchase 20.6 thousand medals.
Therefore, the question arises whether it is advisable to keep awards that do not provide their recipients with any benefits and have no meaning? We sent a letter to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine regarding changes in approaches to awarding graduates of full general secondary education with gold and silver medals with a proposal to revise the system of awarding graduates
