KM Amosov: “Our team took into account the wishes of the student in the program communities”

Students and teachers of the leading medical university of the country experienced  their own revolution. At the beginning, the students demanded to dismiss of Vitaliy Moskalenko Rector due to his financial fraud. This confirmed by the special committee of the Ministry of Health, according to its conclusions the former rector illegally appropriated 56 million hryvnias. Rector was dismissed from his office, and the Ministry of Health instructed to hold new elections. And then a new stage of changes and testing began – the university team was required to make the election fair and transparent, which have not been whenever in the history of the institution. On June 11 elections are finally held. 36% of voters were given in Katerina Amosova’ s support, who served temporally as an Acting Rector. Now the Minister of health has to sign a contract with the newly elected rector of the university. As soon as possible. As there to be held hearing on June 19, where Vitalii Moskalenko will again challenge his allegedly unlawful dismissal. “Den”, newspaper questioned the corresponding member of NAMS of Ukraine, MD, professor and almost rector of O.O. Bohomolets, KATERYNA AMOSOVA, where the way out of the difficulties of the election campaign is and what changes  at the university are planned.

– Mrs. Kateryna Mykolaivna, at very beginning of the rebellion against the former rector the Minister of Health repeatedly stated that the only way out is in the democratic and transparent elections of therector. Was the opportunity available to hold it in such way exactly?

– We believe that the elections were transparent and democratic. According to the Conference of the University  Staff, on April, 1 when 74% of the representatives expressed their distrust of the former rector Vitalii Moskalenko, Ministry of Health of Ukraine issued an order on termination of his employment contract. I was appointed as an Acting Rector before the election. Their candidacies were nominated by eight people, there are five heads of departments of NMU (including me) among them: Professor of Surgery NMAPE A.Lavryk, the son of the former Rector of the University; Professor Khobzei, head of one of the departments of the Ministry of Health from Bogatyryova’s team, and Professor V. Dosenko, the leading researcher at the Institute of Physiology of NAS of Ukraine. At the end of April a commission of 44 people was established to hold elections, it included ten student deans, student activists of NGOs formed during the last three months.

– Each applicant had the opportunity to meet with the electorate; the access to dormitories and departments was opened; as well as they were given the opportunity to distribute their print products with the programs and to publishthem on University’s  web-site. The representatives could enter into the working group. In the elections there were media, everyone can shoot by the camera. We have twelve thousand students and two thousand lecturers. There were seven stations organized, the lists of voters were made and they were reserved  in each of the bases in order to avoid  carrousel effect. These lists were posted online, and in the dormitories. The district commissions were established the members of which were six students and three lecturers. And each applicant had the right to provide the observer.

There were boxes and voting booths at these stations. During the elections, twenty “Titan” security guards were invited for ensuring public order because there were statements about possible disrupting the election. Among our guests  there were Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine, representatives of the Ministry of Health, Deputy Minister of Education and two MPs. Ballots were printed on the stage, deputy minister signed on each one. CUS ended at about 23 o’clock. Under the Legislation on higher education, candidates who gained more than 30% of the votes are to be considered as winners, and the minister will make the final choice between them. The results of the secret voting are as follows: I got 36% and I became the only candidate who gained more than 31%. The Minister, O.Musii, expressed us his verbal wish that it would be interesting to conduct a survey among the students and lecturers about their choice. These surveys are not provided by any laws on higher education, or by the Charter of NMU. But it is really interesting and useful thing. And we conducted a poll on election day. It is important for me that the results of social survey coincide – 35% for me.

– What are your general impressions of the campaign, what kind of difficulties did arise during its organizational events?

– We formed the so-called circle, the coalition of six candidates united to prepare the memo which said that it is necessary to publish on the website a list of the names and positions of the delegates of the workforce. But it gives an opportunity to talk and to promise something for everyone. And I received the allegations that I used my official position of the Acting Rectir and utilized the administrative resources. Therefore, they demanded from the  Minister my dismissing. The election was called undemocratic and non-transparent, so they had to be postponed, and to be conducted even better in the fall, because not all candidates are familiar with the work of NMU. But Professor Lavrik had trodden the paths through our departments jver the month, Khobzey was a member of the Commission of Health which tested Moskalenko’s activity in March, and did not take part in its work at any time. There were even threats that if the Minister does not fulfill the demands, and the election willbe broken away. But the Minister did not sign this memo.

– In the beginning the election was planned for 5 June, that, in terms of the working group of NMU was fully justified. Enrolling campaign is to be started, NMU’s position on this matter has to be developed. Rector has to participate in many public events to attract the best students here; to assure that their parents don’t fear of that students do not learn, and at the same time teachers are “in fever. ” We must convince them that our work has been democratized, we have become more public and open, we have less corruption. These things have to attract future students.

We created Anti-Corruption Committee, chaired by the head of the department and the student. In order to eradicate corruption the plenty of time is needed when it will be changed  the attitude to these facts in the university,  that they are immoral. A human with selfrespect prefers learning to give a bribe, because he entered the University for this. Who does not want to learn are to be expelled with a right of recovery, but on the contract basis. If it is proved that the teacher took the money he is to be resigned.

Those students who study, complete their training somebody on June 10, some on June 17, which makes impossible their participation in the survey at a later date. The team of NMU is in tense, it’s waiting for “permanent” Rector, and on 19 June there is court hearing under the request by V.Moskalenko to the Ministry of Health. On April 28 I wrote the application for leave for my own account from the office of rector in order to not allow the application of having “administrative resource”, and in an hour later I was ordered by the Ministry of Health to resign. Despite all this, on behalf of this “coalition” professor Dosenko went on to ask for personal meeting with the Minister and insisted on postponing the election, whereby O.Musii recommended to the working group to review the election date. The working group suggested holding it on 11 June. Then professor Dosenko organized a strange “students brotherhood” and addressed to Tatiana Bakhtieyeva as a chairman of Verkhovna Rada Committee on Health. She wrote a letter to Oleh Musii to postpone the election on the basis of which the Ministry of Health once again appealed to the University to know the opinion of the Working Group. But the Working Group strongly reiterated its previous decision and involved in its support the Chairman of the Supervisory Board Yu. Shcherbak and all its members. Since, the date of June 11 was final. But at this stage it’s not over. It was agreed that on June 10, the eve of the elections will be “day of silence”, but on that day there was a pile of cards that were targeted shoved under the door of the members of the CUS with negative information to my address and called to vote for other candidates. Concerning the subject of “negative” there wasn’t nothing specific. Well, the organizers of that black PR action disliked me as a person.

– Did you have a conversation with Oleh Musii, because now the final word is up to the Ministry of Health?

– Yes, I’m waiting for signing the contract. Mr. Musii talked to me, he has mind to do it. Approval given by the Minister of Education and Science, Mr. S.Kvit, has been already received. Our university will immediately transmit a copy of the contract to the court, as it strengthens the position of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on “inevitability” of Moskalenko’s resign.

– After all these events, it became apparent that the team has been splitted off. Is it possible to unite it, perhaps around the certain joint idea?

– It has been already united. If at first, in March, some were intimidated that Moskalenko could return, and some professors signed a letter on his defense, then later the Scientific Council and the Conference of University Staff  in his presence they gave a vote of no confidence to the rector, and this really united the team. Then we rallied in this struggle for fair and democratic elections before opening the enrollment campaign.

– And what did candidates offer in their election program for students and teachers?

– Someone promised that all employees, regardless of their age, will enter into the employment contracts for seven years, but this is an issue. The two candidates said that employees of the NMU would receive preferences for their children to enroll in our university and for further employment which angered the students. Many promised higher wages, and one person promised even the pool. Our team, in particular, took into account  the wishes of the student communities in the program. For example, students asked that the university to pay for access to the leading English-language quality medical publications, complained of the poor quality of practical training. Students are eager to listen to lectures given not only by NMU professors, but leading specialists of the System of National Medical Academy of Sciences and foreign experts; they also want to work on probation more. These promises were included into the program. Since the financial situation of Ukraine is terrible, and the University’ state  is not better, our given promises were restrained. For example, we have not promised to raise the university science in the nearest future because the modern equipment needs a big money. But when we have bunk beds in the dormitories and living rooms for two are settled by four; when hot water is supplied during certain hours; when showers don’t operate normally it is impossible to make promises that the science will go up by frantic pace.

– Will be held some radical changes in the education system, in the work of team? What, in your opinion, should change first, and what possibilities are available for this?

– Accept administrative and supply issues it is really to make democratization  of management process to provide community with the access to information, decision-making and current status. Previously the said information was ” restricted”. It is also necessary to restore the authority of the Academic Council as the highest body, may be with extension of its powers; to strengthen the role of faculties and the field of decision-making responsibilities of the deans that they could have, for example, the staffing authority to hire assistants and laboratory technicians without the consent of the Rector, nominate the scholarships and encouraging steps in the faculty. This is  a serious work, and these innovations has also undergo through public discussion. It is to be transparency in all respects: information on the number of vacancies,  what tends are held, what bonuses are received, the criteria for the appointment of personal scholarships and bonuses, the budget expenditures, the University earnings – previously there was lack of it, and such situation can really be  changed.

It is necessary to establish a chain of relationships with the students – question – response –hen correction measures, unfortunately, it passed by this. It is also necessary to continue the fight against corruption. University corruption is not only when a teacher wrote on the board the price for passing of the exam. In most cases, the student exactly tries to give money to teacher to omit his absence without testing or to have decent evaluation. Alternatively, the group raises money and brings to a teacher. For many students it is easier to learn. And this part of corruption dominates. Just two months ago we established the anti-corruption committee, chaired by the head of the department and the student. In order to eradicate corruption the plenty of time is needed when it will be changed  the attitude to these facts in the university,  that they are immoral. A human with selfrespect prefers learning to give a bribe,because he entered the University for this. Who does not want to learn are to be expelled with a right of recovery, but on the contract basis. If it is proved that the teacher took the money he is to be resigned. And the Rector should come to businessmen and public authorities to ask for help. Rector is to be a public person. I am confident that we will reach such things as each the audience will have the board on the doors informing of the name of the philanthropist who donated. Our university is still brand, and it is worthy for patrons to stand beside us.

P.S.: When the text was prepared for publication, it was reported that he Health Minister Oleh Musii signed the decree on appointment of Katerina Amosova as the  Rector of the O.O.Bohomolets National Medical University under the terms of her contract.