Planning policy
Ukraine does not have a national policy for planning the number of academic staff in the higher education institutions (HEIs). Personnel policy falls within the competence of individual HEIs. The statutory, strategic documents and reports determine their staff policy. Current general legislation defines requirements for competencies, level of education, procedures for professional development and procedures for hiring academic staff. The HEIs may set individual requirements for each position and a list of job responsibilities.
Entry to the profession
The head of the HEI appoints and dismisses teaching staff from their positions. Academic staff undergoes assessment every five years. The results of the assessment determine the suitability of employees for the position held. They are the reason to assign qualification categories and pedagogical titles.
Academic staff are appointed to posts based on the results of a competitive selection process. The academic council of the HEI approves the procedure for that competition. The HEIs may sign short-term employment contracts with foreign citizens per with the current legislation.
In some cases, if the existing full-time employees are not able to support the educational process, vacant academic positions may be temporarily filled under an employment contract. The competitive selection for these positions should be held in the current academic year.
The Law of Ukraine ‘On Higher Education’ provides for employment under a contract for the head of a HEI, head of a department, and head of a faculty. The Law of Ukraine ‘On Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activities’ provides for the possibility of hiring researchers through a contract. The researchers are scientists who at their main place of work and per their employment contract are professionally engaged in scientific, scientific-technical, scientific-organisational or scientific-pedagogical activities. They should have the appropriate qualifications, regardless of their scientific degree or academic title, confirmed by the results of the assessment.
Professional status
The Labour Code of Ukraine (Кодекс законів про працю України)regulates the professional status of HEI academic staff, and the terms of employment are standard.
The academic staff performs their duties guided by the Ethical Code of academic personnel. It is a set of moral principles and rules that determine their professional activities and behaviour in the educational process. It includes respect for students and colleagues, adherence to the principles of scientific ethics, a high level of professionalism, and objective assessment. The academic staff should avoid plagiarism and falsification. Although there is no single common Code, each HEI may have its own to regulate relations within the scientific community. It contributes to the creation of a friendly and creative atmosphere.
The main principles and requirements of the Code are as follows.
- Respect for the participants of the education process. Recognition of freedom of thought and speech, politeness and friendliness in communicating with students and colleagues.
- High level of professionalism. Improving scientific qualifications and teaching skills, using innovative teaching methods.
- Compliance with scientific ethics. Avoiding plagiarism, falsification, and appropriation of other people’s ideas.
- Objectivity and fairness. Fair evaluation of scientific and educational activities.
- Creating a positive environment. Developing students’ interest in the subject and creating an environment of mutual assistance.
- Avoiding conflicts of interest. Refraining from commercial partnerships or other relationships that may harm effective teaching and objective assessment.
Salaries
The salaries of academic staff consist of statutory salaries, bonuses, additional payments for academic degrees, academic titles and other allowances. They include remuneration for work experience, additional payments and rewards for scientific (scientific and pedagogical) activities provided for by law. The sources of the salaries of the academic staff are state and/or local budgets, funds of founders, revenues of educational institutions, grants, as well as other sources not prohibited by law. The minimum salary of an academic employee should be 25% higher than the salary of a pedagogical employee of the lowest qualification category. Each subsequent salary of an academic employee increases by no less than10 % from the previous one. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approves salary rates for academic employees of state and municipal educational institutions.
The founder of a private educational institution has the right to establish other amounts and conditions of remuneration, rewards and benefits for academic employees. The allocation of public funds received by a private educational institution follows the current law for state and municipal educational institutions.
Academic staff of educational institutions receive additional allowances for academic degrees and academic titles according to the law.
For academic degree: Candidate of Sciences (Doctor of Philosophy) – up to 15%; Doctor of Sciences – up to 25% of the statutory salary.
For academic title: Professor – up to 33%; Associate Professor, Senior Researcher – up to 25% of the official statutory salary.
Academic staff receive monthly seniority bonuses in the following amounts:
- more than 3 years – 10%;
- more than 10 years – 20%;
- more than 20 years – 30% of statutory salary.
Working time and holidays
The working hours of academic staff are 36 hours per week. The working hours of an academic employee include the time spent performing educational, methodological, scientific, organisational activities and other duties. The working hours of a scientific employee include the time spent performing scientific, research, advisory, expert, organisational activities and other duties. The working hours of a pedagogical employee include the time spent performing educational, methodological, organisational activities and other duties. The HEI establishes the standard time for educational, methodological, scientific and organisational activities.
Scientific activities shall take at least 30% of an academic employee’s working hours per academic year. The maximum volume of educational activities per one statutory salary for an academic employee shall not exceed 30% of working hours. The amount for a pedagogical employee shall not exceed 60% of working hours per academic year.
The central executive body in the field of education and science establishes the recommended list of types of educational, methodological, scientific and organisational activities for academic staff.
The HEI, in agreement with the Trade Union representative, establishes the types of educational activities of academic staff by their positions.
Academic staff has a right to annual leave of 56 calendar days.
Promotion, advancement
There are no nationwide rules for the promotion and advancement of academic staff. The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine determines general qualification requirements for academic staff according to the position. During a competition for a vacant position, the HEI publishes a list of requirements for candidates. They should fit within the framework of these requirements. They usually include experience, academic degree, academic title, competencies, etc.
Retirement and pensions
The state establishes pensions for academic staff with the required minimum work experience. Their amount is at a level that ensures the prestige of scientific work and stimulates the systematic renewal of academic personnel.
An academic employee gets a pension upon reaching retirement age:
- for men – with at least 25 years of work experience, including at least 20 years of scientific work experience;
- for women – with at least 20 years of work experience, including at least 15 years of scientific work experience.
Pensions for academic staff amount to 80% of the salary of the academic worker. According to the current legislation, the salary counts if the person paid the mandatory state pension insurance fee from it.
For each additional full year of scientific work, the pension increases by 1% of the salary, but cannot exceed 90% of the average monthly salary.
The calculation of the pension takes into account the salary of the researcher at the main place of work. Until July 1 of 2000, it uses any 60 calendar months of scientific experience in a row, regardless of breaks. Since July 1 of 2000, it uses the entire period of scientific experience.