Recently, the number of Nigerians trooping to Ukrainian tertiary institutions, have become worrisome. This may be mainly due to the low cost of fees, living, ease of getting the admission and Visa. However, the backdrop of language barrier (since ENGLISH is not thier official language) and Recent accusations of racial discrimination, encouraged the Nigerian Ambassador to Ukraine, Frank Ngozi Isoh, to speak up on the issue.
Frank Ngozi Isoh, advised Nigerian parents to be wary of sending their children to English Language training institutions as Ukrainians are not proficient in the language.
In September, the National Universities Commission (NUC) had said some states sponsor students to sub-standard universities abroad and Ukraine was one of the countries mentioned. The Executive Secretary of NUC Professor Julius Okojie also made reference to a university in Ukraine where there are over 800 medical students and some of the students do not have the qualification in basic sciences.
In a recent report by Daily Trust, the Ambassador made some startling revelations that raises some doubts about the idea of studying in Ukraine.
The Ambassador said that Nigerians won’t get the best when it comes to studying in Ukraine with the English Language. “One thing I will like to say about education in this place, and this is something we intend to package in a report to government to see how this can be propagated back home – I do not think that Nigerians get the best when it comes to studying in this place in the English language.”
While noting that the lure for most parents is the low cost of tuition which is about $3,000 for a course that could cost up to $20,000 in the United States or Canada, the Ambassador further said that the people who teach them in English language are natives of Ukraine who are also not very proficient in the language.
He advised students who want to study in Ukraine to first learn the local language in order to get the best out of the education system. While speaking on Universities in Ukraine offering medical courses, he said he doesn’t think Nigerian medical students trained in English get the best.
“We don’t think that Nigerian medical doctors trained in English speaking universities here get the best. But those who endeavour to learn the language and then attend lectures with the natives certainly get better trained.”
It was only weeks ago that news of a Nigerian student studying in Ukraine who faced life imprisonment for allegedly defending himself against six teenagers surfaced in the media {click here to read it}. What was noteworthy about his case is that he was remanded in detention for several days by the Ukrainian police who refused to take the case to court citing unavailability of the police to get an interpreter for him.
If you were planning on studying in Ukraine, it might be wise to listen to the advice of the Ambassador.
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