Ukraine picks brains at UCAS

Ukrainian academics are hoping to spark a wave of institutional reform in the former Soviet homeland following a fact-finding visit to London.

A Ukrainian delegation, comprising two professors from the University of Kiev-Mohyla Academy and two parliamentarians, visited a number of academic institutions in London last week.

The delegates say they face a massive task in reforming and updating their system and are hoping to start initially with their university admissions, specifically those for law courses.

They hope that sorting out the basic system of admissions to Kiev-Mohyla's law department will allow them to present this as a model of good practice to other university departments, and then to other institutions.

By doing so they hope not only for a medium-term benefit, in that other state institutions can learn from the sector, but also, in the longer term, that they will produce a new generation of forward-thinking graduates who will carry knowledge of best practice with them as they assume positions of responsibility within the society and its institutions.

Valentin Yakushik, professor of political science at the Kiev-Mohyla, said: "We will be trying to implement what we have learned of the British admissions system as soon as possible and as far as possible."

Among the institutions visited was the University of East London which set up the visit as a result of a friendship between Professor Yakushik and the university's public services management lecturer Rory O'Hara.

The delegates were briefed by staff on the university's systems for ensuring fair and corruption-free admissions procedures.

They also picked the brains of staff at UCAS, the University of London Institute of Education and the Law Society.