Saskatchewan-Ukraine Relationships in Education: History, Current State, and Prospects

Abstract

For the last decade, the internationalization of higher education became a priority for both the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and Ukraine. Having historically strong ties, these two parties attempt to build equally strong educational relations. By analyzing educational partnerships and collaborations between the post-secondary institutions in Saskatchewan and Ukraine, the paper examines the history, nature, and development of the Saskatchewan-Ukraine relationships in higher education. The author analyses the case of the Saskatchewan-Ukraine cooperation in higher education by examining documents related to the Saskatchewan-Ukraine relations, those outlining Canadian federal and provincial policy initiatives, and Ukrainian state legislature. The paper also discusses the Saskatchewan-Ukraine educational cooperation as it is promoted on the websites of the universities involved in such cooperation. The author investigates different internship programs and initiatives between two Saskatchewan universities – the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan, and three Ukrainian public universities – Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas, and Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. The document analysis provides information of three major categories: the history of the Saskatchewan-Ukraine relations, the current state of such relationships in education, and the prospects of the Saskatchewan-Ukraine educational cooperation. Regardless of the strong governmental support of the Saskatchewan-Ukraine relationships in education, several challenges to the relationships appear in the light of the current political-economic contexts. The paper discusses these challenges and suggests recommendations for developing further Saskatchewan-Ukraine cooperation in the educational field.

The Effectiveness of Cultural Diplomacy in Strengthening Chernivtsi-Saskatchewan Educational Cooperation

“…Taking into consideration both its selforganisation and momentous impact on domestic and foreign policy, Ukrainian Canadians belong to the most globally recognized Diaspora community. My strong conviction is that their experience could be taken as a model to emulate for Ukraine (especially under the present-day situation) 15 . In recent years in Canada as well on the global level, digital media, including social media, have become a topic of pivotal importance for politicians throughout their political communication, digital campaigns and elections.…”

Cooperation Between Ukraine and Ukrainians Abroad in Canada as a Implementation of the Constitutional Obligations of the Ukrainian State

“…Moreover, there are few studies of the legal aspect of cooperation between Ukraine and Ukrainians abroad. Some aspects of cooperation between Ukraine and Ukrainians abroad have been studied by: A. Atamanenko (Atamanenko, 2013), A. Popok (Popok, 2007), N. Zakharchuk (Zakharchuk, 2021), and others. However, scholars have not considered the issue of Ukraine's cooperation with Ukrainians abroad through the prism of the implementation of the constitutional obligations of the Ukrainian state.…”

“…Moreover, the financial dependence of universities on the state fostered «the remnants of the Soviet educational bureaucracy, which was a rigid form with little new content». As a result, this centralization has significantly affected the ability of Ukrainian universities to strategize about international cooperation (Zakharchuk, 2021).…”