On Thursday, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, initiated a round table discussion on the topic "Implementation of Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" regarding Student Self-Government". The attendants of the round table discussion debated the implementation of this legislative act.
Thus, the law that came into force on 10 February 2010 presupposed organization of the student self-government system to protect the rights and realize legitimate interests of students in the field of education.
M.Tomenko commented upon the issues related to the implementation of this law. As one of the authors, he believes that it is a paradox that the leaders of the higher education establishments wait upon the commentaries of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Cabinet of Ministers, while the officials of the Ministry demonstrate passivity. "At present, the European student self-government model, under which the students and the postgraduate students together with the lecturers pass the decisions and bear common responsibility for the management of the higher education establishments remains an ideal model, implemented neither by the Ministry officials nor by the majority of the higher education establishments", the Deputy Chairman declared. "However, the student organizations at the universities shall actively draft and bring forward the amendments to the statutes of the higher education establishments", he stated.
M.Tomenko stated that the Ministry set up an inter-departmental commission to draft normative-legal acts regarding financial provision of the student self-government bodies. However, the commission failed to hold at least one meeting or promulgate its composition.
As far as the positive trends were concerned, M.Tomenko singled out several higher education establishments, the leaders of which "understand the necessity to implement the law and manage the establishment jointly with the students."
"Thus, I am convinced that there is no need to involve the General Prosecution, the President or the Parliament to make the democratic student self-government model active in Ukraine", M.Tomenko stressed.