A scandal has erupted at Bogomolets Medical University over the return of students to in-person classes
A scandal has erupted at the O. O. Bogomolets National Medical University over the administration’s plan to return students to in-person classes. Students are expressing their outrage en masse on the social media platform Threads and are calling on the university administration and the Ministry of Health to take the security situation in Kyiv into account.
Students emphasize that, given the constant air raid alerts, Russian shelling, and disruptions to communications, a return to in-person classes is dangerous.
According to the students, over the years of full-scale war, the university has allegedly failed to set up a shelter that could ensure the safety of all students.
According to social media posts, the so-called “ground floor” serves as a shelter at the university. Students claim that during an air raid alert, the space is physically incapable of accommodating even half of the student body.
The situation with the dormitories is a particular cause for concern. Students note that the buildings are located in an industrial area of Kyiv that has already been repeatedly targeted by Russian attacks.
Additionally, according to the students, there are partially destroyed structures located near the dormitories, which further heightens safety concerns.
In addition to the security situation, students point out problems with living conditions in the dormitories.
They say there are frequent power outages, no heating, and not even cold water. The students argue that under such conditions, it is difficult to prepare for classes and attend in-person sessions.
On social media, students are calling for a hybrid learning model to remain in place at least until the end of the semester. In their view, this would allow some students to stay in safer regions of Ukraine while continuing their studies.
One Threads user with the handle marynaaaaaa__ drew attention to the location of the dormitories and the security situation around them.
“The dorms are located in an industrial area of Kyiv, near which there have already been multiple airstrikes. An entire street is half-destroyed just 300 meters from the dorm,” the user writes.
Another student, astoianovaa, emphasizes that, in her opinion, the university has failed to address basic safety issues.
“It’s been over four years of full-scale war, but the university has proven completely incapable of resolving basic safety issues,” she writes.
User susanaadaanton drew attention to the recent attacks on the capital and the danger to students studying at clinical training sites.
“In Kyiv, the last few days have been filled with air raid alerts, attacks, and power outages, and just recently, during a yellow alert, a Russian UAV crashed near a clinical training site where students are studying—and after that, they tell us, ‘We’re returning to in-person classes.’ We’re not asking for classes to be canceled; we understand that medicine isn’t possible without hands-on practice. But does in-person learning under any circumstances really equal a quality education??,” she exclaims.
Another user, darya_starrr, pointed out transportation problems in Kyiv during Russian attacks.
“Logistical hell and the bridges. The city is hit by suicide bombers almost every day, the bridges across the Dnipro are regularly targeted, and transportation is paralyzed by constant alerts. How is it even safe to get from the right bank to the left (or vice versa) to these clinical training sites? It’s simply impossible,” she writes.
Currently, students are calling on the administration of the O. O. Bogomolets National Medical University and the Ministry of Health to take security risks into account when deciding on the format of instruction.
“Glavkom” is ready to publish the official position and clarification from the administration of the O. O. Bogomolets National Medical University regarding the organization of the educational process and the status of security facilities on campus.
As a reminder, since early morning on October 8, the Russian army has been continuously attacking Kyiv with strike drones. In the morning, debris from an enemy drone fell in an open area in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital, killing one person.
Posts from outraged university students are appearing en masse on the social media platform Threads.
As a reminder, at the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University, the administration has begun dismissing faculty members who refused to support former Rector Kateryna Amosova in her conflict with the Ministry of Health. Acting Health Minister Uliana Suprun wrote about this on her Facebook page.
In Kyiv, law enforcement officials uncovered a scheme to embezzle public funds during the renovation of the facade and roof of one of the buildings at the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University. According to the investigation, the losses to the state exceeded 15 million hryvnias.
