What does future education look like?

The LEARNSAVE (Learning under attacks – sustainable education at risk in Ukrainian universities) project at SLU, supported by the Swedish Institute (Svenska Institutet, project number 01236/2023) will connect students, professionals, and higher education institutions to promote innovations in education and provide teaching material for use in distance/online education. The damage and destruction of educational facilities have resulted in the loss of opportunities for many students to continue their education.

"There is an urgent need to take concrete steps to support Ukrainian students. Education must be restored. This should be done TODAY.  In this project, we aim to create high-quality teaching materials for use in distance education. It is also crucial to seek assistance from international experts from leading higher education institutions, like SLU," underlines Prof Andriy Getya from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine.

“Online learning and continuous control of student’s achievements are especially important in agricultural areas because it is the major sector in Ukraine. Due to war, there is a gap between actual requirements and the availability of human resources for education in the field of agriculture and animal/food science. This project will help to fill this gap and facilitate the development of agriculture after the end of the war. This is also of high international importance because Ukraine produces cereals that much of Europe, the Middle East and Africa rely on”, adds Professor Ruslan Susol from Odesa State Agrarian University.

“Our project acts at multiple levels and has several target groups. We mainly aim to support youth in Ukraine but at the same time staff at SLU. Jointed events, lectures, courses and conferences with Ukrainian students and teachers will increase our competencies”, says the project leader Galia Zamaratskaia.

Internationalization is important for SLU to be the highest international class organisation. Close collaboration within the project will contribute to the development of long-term collaborations within education and research.

One of the long-term goals is to support Ukraine in rapid development when the occupied territories are returned to Ukraine. Ukraine has a highly developed agriculture sector and is one of the major exporters of agricultural products worldwide. After the war, the need for professionals in agriculture will increase. Actions to ensure relevant education of high quality are needed now. This will contribute to improvements in lifestyles and decreasing hunger not only in Ukraine but globally.

List of the partners in the project:

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Department of Molecular Sciences and Division of Educational Affairs)

National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP)

Poltava State Agrarian University (PDAU)

Odessa State Agrarian University (OSAU)

Dmytro Motornyi Tavria State Agrotechnological University (TSATU)