Education
School education:
All children 7 to 15 years old attend the nine year compulsory school. If parents so wish, the child may start from the age of six. Options after the comprehensive school are upper secondary school or vocational education. Upper secondary school: 2-year general school leading to the Matriculation Examination, giving successful students access to university and other higher education schools. The present vocational education system covers both general secondary and vocational programmes, with separate tracks for comprehensive school leavers and matriculated students. The system is being reformed.
Higher education:
Higher education in Ukraine is administered by the Ministry of Education which coordinates the activities of higher schools and supervises the higher schools which are under other ministries. According to the "Law on Education", higher education includes the following levels and categories of establishment: level I - vocational schools and other HEIs of a corresponding level; level II - colleges and other HEIs of a corresponding level which teach Bachelor and junior specialist courses; level III - institutes, conservatories,academies and universities that teach Bachelor's and Specialist, as well as junior specialist courses and ; level IV - institutes, conservatories, academies and universities which teach Bachelor's, Master's and Specialist courses. The degree system is under reform: The old system had only one stage of undergraduate studies, the degree of "Specialist", awarded after 5 years of study. The new system comprises two stages: undergraduate and graduate, with several degree levels. A Union of Rectors was created in 1993.
Economy
Ukraine's economy is highly industrialized. Industry contributes more than 40 percent of total net material product (NMP) and accounts for more than one-fourth of total employment. Industry is based largely on the republic's vast mineral resources. The Donets'k Basin contains huge reserves of coal, and the nearby iron-ore reserves of Kryvyy Rih are equally rich. Among Ukraine's other mineral resources are manganese, bauxite, titanium, and salt. Coal and nuclear fission are the leading sources of energy, with each accounting for roughly 30 percent of Ukraine's domestic energy production. Despite these domestic sources, the economy is highly dependent on other former Soviet republics for oil and natural gas, the price of which has risen sharply in the early 1990s. A decline in domestic energy production during this same period made the country even more reliant on foreign sources. The energy shortage prompted Ukrainian officials to keep five nuclear power stations in operation despite safety problems. These stations included the one at Chernobyl', where there was a disastrous accident in 1986. The principal manufactures include iron and steel, heavy machinery, chemicals, transportation equipment, textiles, and processed food.
Agriculture accounts for about 30 percent of total NMP and one-fourth of total employment. Ukraine is a major producer and exporter of a wide variety of agricultural products, including wheat and sugar beets. Other crops include potatoes, vegetables, fruit, sunflowers, and flax. Livestock raising is also important. Agricultural production has suffered greatly since independence, however, and domestic food consumption has decreased. NMP declined by about 30 percent in 1992—one of the sharpest drops among the former Soviet republics.
After considerable delay, the process of economic reform began in Ukraine. Prices on food, transportation, and other services were deregulated in January 1993, although food prices remained low in comparison to prices in neighboring countries. The government issued privatization certificates and set up the western city of L'viv as a model for future privatization. A transitional currency, the karbovanet, was issued, and plans to issue a final currency, the hryvnia, were formed. However, the reform process stalled in the second half of 1993. Privatization was slowed by bureaucratic resistance and ineptitude. As a result, about 95 percent of all property still remained under state control. Production declined more rapidly, and the economy edged toward hyperinflation. In response, the government attempted to assert direct control over the economy by resorting to central planning techniques such as price controls. In order to foster economic cooperation with other former Soviet republics and improve economic conditions, Ukraine became an associate member of the Commonwealth of Independent States Economic Union in September 1993.
Climate
The climate is temperate continental, characterised by plenty of rain and cloudy autumns and winters. The southern Crimean coast experiences a Mediterranean climate. There are regular snowfalls in winter (between October and April) with average temperatures of 17-35°F (-8 to 2°C), with colder temperatures inland. While winters are long and cold, summers are short and can get very hot, especially in the south, with average temperatures of 64-81° F (18-27°C). Rainfall occurs in the form of thundershowers and the occasional downpour; rainfall is highest in the west and north of the country.
List of Universities in UKRAINE
North America
North America
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