Ban on symbols of Russian aggression, simplified procedures for vocational education and defense sector during wartime

The Parliament passed a law banning symbols of Russian aggression against Ukraine (with presidential amendments). MPs also plan to introduce simplified procedures for getting vocational education and leasing property of the Ukroboronprom during wartime.

Adoption of presidential amendments banning the symbols popularizing the armed aggression

Draft bill # 7214 of March 26, 2022

Sponsor: the President.

Status: adopted with presidential amendments.

Who is affected: Russian Federation, its resident natural and legal persons.

Summary of the bill:

• demonstration of symbols used by Russia for popularizing its aggression will be allowed only as a part of museum expositions, exhibitions, for scientific and educational purposes, or to convey the truth about the armed aggression to the public

• it will be forbidden to these symbols as symbols of Ukrainian non-governmental organizations.

What is right:

• it is important to be able to use symbols popularizing the invasion for purposes of counterpropaganda, science, and education. It is necessary for preserving the memory of Russian crimes

• the updated version of the bill prohibits the use of symbols of aggression not only by political parties but not non-governmental organizations too.

What is wrong: the final version of the bill is no less populist or declarative than the previous ones.

Simplified enrollment procedure for vocational education

Draft bill # 7293 of April 18, 2022

Cosponsors: a group of MPs with Olha Koval (Servant of the People faction) as the first signatory.

Status: passed in the first reading.

Who is affected: enrollees of vocational education establishments who want to get vocational education without getting full secondary education.

Summary of the bill:

• students of vocational education establishments will be able to study there without getting full secondary education

• graduates of vocational education establishments will be able to get full secondary education later

• vocational education establishments will not be allowed to reject applicants for state or local stipends on the grounds that the place of residence of these applicants is not within the community where these educational establishments are situated

• vocational education establishments will be allowed to introduce curricula providing students with partial professional qualification

• it will be allowed to use money from the government budget and communal budgets for funding extension courses

• until the transfer of vocational education establishments to the communal ownership is finished, these establishments will be managed by government bodies designated by the Cabinet

• community councils will not be allowed to close or reorganize vocational education establishments for ten years without the approval from the Ministry of Education and Science and an employer organization.

What is right:

• the bill will ensure that people are still able to get vocational training thus mitigating damage from the war and mobilization. That will help to boost the economy and facilitate the post-war reeducation of cadres

• students of vocational education establishments will have an option to get full secondary education later

• there will be no discrimination against applicants not residing in communities where educational establishments are situated. Currently, such applicants often get rejections on these grounds.

What is wrong:

• better qualification and skills of the employee bring benefits to the employee and their employer, so they have to pay for extra education, not the state or a local community (except for cases where the employer is the state or a local community)

• communities will still own vocational education establishments but will have no say in managing them. This goes against the principle of ownership and makes decentralization of vocational education a fiction

• funding for vocational education will still be provided by local budgets: the state de facto takes over educational establishments, but demands for local communities to pay for the maintenance.

Alternative solution: because of the war, the mobility of the population has increased significantly and local labor markets do not exist anymore. Taking this into account, the decentralization of vocational education establishments has to be suspended. Management of educational establishments and their maintenance have to be the responsibility of the state.

Simplified procedure for leasing assets of Ukroboronprom enterprises

Draft bill # 7307 of April 21, 2022

Sponsor: the Cabinet.

Status: passed in the first reading.

Who is affected: the Cabinet and enterprises of the SC Ukroboronprom.

Summary of the bill:

• the bill allows leasing the assets of the Ukroboronprom enterprises without fee and tender procedures conditional on the necessity of such lease for maintaining the work of the defense industry and satisfying the demand for armament, military and special equipment

• lease agreements will be concluded for the time while martial law is in force and will have to end no later than three months after martial law ends.

What is right:

• suspension of regular tender procedures is a necessity during wartime for maintaining secrecy about the work of defense industry enterprises and for prompt set up of armament production

• limits on the terms of lease agreements remove the risk of abuse after the war is over.