Are Top Rankings in the Most Prestigious HEIs Occupied by Fabricated Winners of Nationwide Olympiads and Small Academy of Sciences Contests?

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

Huge numbers of hopeful freshmen and their parents have begun approaching the Civic Network OPORA claiming that fabricated winners of prestigious contests occupy top rankings in the most prestigious HEIs.  As a result, OPORA reviewed the list of those being offered admittance to the T. Shevchenko National University and the Vadym Het’man Kyiv National Economic University. 

The most fabricated winners are found in the T. Shevchenko National University list.  For example, among the 11 highest ranked applicants to the Institute of Journalism, 10 are noted to be winners of an Olympiad or other contest.  However, none of these 10 individuals appear in the Ministry of Education Order #504 Results of Nationwide Olympiads and Tournaments for the 2009/2010 Academic Year, nor in Order #536 Results of the III phase of the Nationwide Contest to defend the Research of pupil  members of the Small Academy of  Sciences of Ukraine in 2010. 

If individuals are missing from these Orders it indicates that the documents they submitted, if any, were forged solely so that they could take advantage of being offered admission to HEIs before others who did not win such contests.  Such applicants were found in the following majors of the T. Shevchenko Kyiv National University: Accounting and Audit (4 of the first 5 places were given to fabricated contest winners), International Business (The Institute of International Relations—1 out of the first 5 students offered admission), International Economic Relations (Institute of International Relations—2 of 10), International Relations (Institute of International Relations—6 of 21.   

It was discovered that the Kyiv National Economic University offered first admission not only to winners of nationwide contests but also to participants of such contests.  However, participant of nationwide contests were not given any advantages over other applicants [in the Rules of Admissions to HEIs].  Such individuals were found among the top of the lists in the following specialties: Business Economics (1 applicant), Finance and Credit (2 of the top 20, and 1 applicant did not participate at all in such contests).   

OPORA is appealing to the Admission Commissions of HEIs of Ukraine that they confirm that documents actually exist to support applicant’s status as nationwide contest winners, and to check that their names appear in the lists of relevant MoE orders. 

Reference: According to the Rules of Admission to HEIS in 2010, participants of international Olympiads, prizewinners (those awarded I-III Level Diplomas) of the 4th Round of Nationwide Pupil Olympiads in general subjects, and prizewinners (those awarded I-III Level Diplomas) of the 3rd round of Nationwide Contests to Defend Research by pupil members of the Small Academy of Sciences are to be listed in the ranking list of hopeful freshmen immediately after those who are being admitted without contest and those recommended after interviews (as indicated in item 15.2 of the Rules of Admission).  That is the above mentioned applicants, having lower admission scores as determined by testing and their final secondary GPA can be ranked higher than those applying without any privileges. 

Civic Network OPORA