Education is a stable foundation for our future, a strategic area for Ukraine, which we continue to protect and develop within the European educational network, in accordance with European standards, despite the full-scale war of the russian federation against Ukraine, despite global challenges.
On 16 November, the international conference "Higher education in turbulent times: the path to European integration and cooperation" was held at the Ukrainian Centre at VDU Educational Academy.
This conference became a platform for consolidating the efforts of academic communities from Ukraine, Lithuania and other EU member states, allowing them to share valuable experience and outline a roadmap for further steps.
The First Lady of Ukraine, Mrs. Olena Zelenska, and the First Lady of Lithuania, Mrs. Dalia Nausėdienė, welcomed all the participants of the conference.
"Education in an era of turbulence can be hard-won and risky. But it always makes sense. Especially in an era of turbulence. Because it is only by developing that we resist aggression and preserve civilization. Thank you, dear Lithuanian friends, for doing this together," - the First Lady of Ukraine said.
According to the First Lady of Lithuania, today there is a need for an in-depth professional analysis to strengthen Ukraine's humanitarian integration into the European Union. "I believe that we are able to find unique, non-standard comprehensive integration solutions, constructive forms of cooperation, innovative intercultural humanitarian initiatives. The functioning of the Ukrainian Centre in Vilnius is one of them," - emphasized Mrs. Nausėdienė
The first panel of the conference, "New opportunities for higher education institutions in creating a European education area for education and research", featured speeches by Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, and Justas Nugaras, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sport of Lithuania. They also spoke about how they manage not only to ensure the educational process in Ukraine, but also to continue actively develop higher education and international partnerships in the face of war.
The second and third panels of the event were dedicated to the digital transformation of the new higher education curriculum, innovative and inclusive pedagogy.
The last panel of the conference, discussing the roadmap for further steps, was particularly dynamic. The discussion was joined by the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Lithuania Marius Vaščega, Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Yulia Ovchynnikova, Rector of VDU, Professor Juozas Augutis, State Expert of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Vitaliy Nosok, Project Coordinator of Erasmus Office of Ukraine Svitlana Shytikova, and Director of the British Council in Lithuania Ona Vyšniauskaitė
Ambassador of Ukraine to Lithuania Petro Beshta addressed the conference in his closing remarked: "Ukraine, which strives to be competitive in the modern world, defines education and science as one of its strategic areas. So, we will continue to fight for humanity, for the knowledge and values that we have been taught. Without this, we will not be able to win and have a powerful resource for the restoration of our country."