The government has not yet introduced a mechanism for verifying knowledge and skills acquired during the occupation – Ombudsman
Ukrainian citizens who obtained an education in temporarily occupied territories are still unable to continue their studies or find employment due to the government’s failure to establish a procedure for recognising their learning outcomes. The Ombudsman emphasises that this situation creates social problems and hinders the reintegration of residents from the temporarily occupied territories (TOT), as stated in the Ombudsman’s annual report on the observance and protection of human and civil rights and freedoms in Ukraine in 2024.
In November 2023, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 3482-IX “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Recognition of Learning Outcomes of Persons Residing in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine.” Among other provisions, the document stipulates that individuals who resided in the TOT of Ukraine have the right to have their learning outcomes acquired in such territory recognised by authorised bodies, except for cases specified by law.
The Ombudsman points out that the adopted law obliged the Cabinet of Ministers to bring regulatory legal acts into compliance with the law and ensure the approval of the regulatory legal acts stipulated therein within three months.
The Ministry of Education developed a draft government resolution titled “On Approval of the Procedure for Recognition of Learning Outcomes Acquired in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine at the Levels of Vocational (Vocational-Technical), Professional Pre-Higher, Higher Education”. In April 2024, the Ombudsman provided proposals and comments on this draft. However, as of January 1, 2025, the Procedure for recognising learning outcomes acquired in the TOT of Ukraine has not been approved. This means that the provisions of the law regarding the possibility of recognising learning outcomes of individuals in the TOT of Ukraine are not functioning.
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The Ombudsman reports that a citizen, Ms. A., approached him. She completed three years of medical university studies in temporarily occupied Luhansk in 2019. Since April 2022, she has been in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government and wishes to continue her studies in her speciality at any medical university without the need for re-enrollment or three years of study.
It is reported that Ms. A. is ready to take exams, but due to the absence of an approved procedure for recognising learning outcomes acquired under occupation, she is not only deprived of the opportunity to continue her studies, but also cannot find employment.
“It is important for Ukraine that citizens from the TOT of Ukraine remain part of the national community and retain their identity, despite pressure and forced Russification. Therefore, the state must ensure that such individuals have the opportunity to find employment, which is impossible without a proper mechanism for recognising educational competencies,” the Ombudsman urged. He added that the absence of such a mechanism leads to serious social problems, including depriving citizens of equal access to further education and opportunities for professional development in Ukraine.
It is worth noting that on November 21, 2024, on the anniversary of the adoption of the Law “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Recognition of Learning Outcomes of Persons Residing in the TOT of Ukraine”, the human rights community stated that it was not working.
The Coalition of Public Organisations dealing with the protection of the rights of those affected by the armed conflict believes that creating conditions for continuing education and employment for youth from the TOT should become part of the state’s youth policy and reintegration policy. In their daily work, they observe that it is important for young people who were forced to remain in occupation to live and study in government-controlled territory.
On January 21, 2025, the Coalition of Human Rights Organisations, which focuses on protecting the rights of those affected by armed aggression against Ukraine, announced 13 priority steps for the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers in the field of human rights protection in the context of armed aggression against Ukraine for 2025.
The human rights community in Ukraine called on the authorities, in particular, to build a system for maintaining ties with their citizens in the occupied territory, which the aggressor country systematically tries to break. Among other recommendations in the document, there is also a point about introducing support programs for children and youth to facilitate their adaptation and integration after leaving the occupation, particularly for pursuing education.
Additionally, the coalition recently released another roadmap of draft laws concerning the affected population for the 13th session of the Verkhovna Rada, aiming to consolidate efforts, form a consistent legislative policy, and ensure effective assistance.
Based on the analysis of the draft laws presented in the roadmap, human rights advocates believe it is important to draw the attention of Ukrainian people’s deputies to specific issues that arise in the process of preparing and considering legislative initiatives on this topic.
