Photo from UNIAN, Oleksandr Kuzmin
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Razumkov, has described as normal his relations with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In an interview with Focus, Razumkov has confirmed he is a member of Zelensky s team.
At the same time, he stressed that he has his own stance on certain personnel issues, which is why he opposed the endorsement of Serhiy Shkarlet for Education Minister and Yuriy Vitrenko – for Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy.
Read alsoRada snubs Vitrenko s nomination for energy ministerCommenting about the vote on Shkarlet s nomination, Razumkov recalled: Then it was not only I who abstained. His candidacy saw no support at the Rada s profile committee, and I quite often focus on the position of committees. Plus there was plenty of debate around the issue [Accusations were voiced of plagiarism in Shkarlet s research work]. That is why I abstained.
Education Minister Serhiy Shkarlet
KYIV – As the year ends, a moderate reshuffle in the Cabinet of Ministers and at the executive branch took place over the past 10 days in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration amid the political newcomer’s dwindling popularity 19 months into his term.
Oleh Tatarov, the president’s deputy chief of staff responsible for law enforcement, said on December 21 that he would recuse himself of certain duties in order to cooperate with investigators and avoid a conflict of interest in a large-scale corruption case in which he is a suspect.
Oleg Tatarov
After receiving a notice of suspicion for involvement in the alleged $2.8 million graft scheme from the National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU), Mr. Tatarov said at a briefing the same day that he had “temporarily transferred part of my powers to another employee of the president’s office in order to avoid manipulation.”
Dmytro Chypchev
Students and educators gathered in front of the presidential office to protest the appointment of Serhii Shkarlet to the position of minister of education and science of Ukraine.
KYIV – Several hundred people, including students from Kyiv’s leading universities, members of youth and student organizations, academics, and parents, gathered in front of the presidential office here on December 21 to protest Parliament’s decision to appoint Serhii Shkarlet to the position of minister of education and science of Ukraine.
On December 17, 226 national deputies – the minimum required – voted to appoint Mr. Shkarlet to the position. Members of the Holos Party, however, claimed that eight deputies whose votes had been counted in favor of Mr. Shkarlet’s appointment were not present when the vote took place, which Holos Party deputies said meant that those eight votes were not cast legally.
Ukraine’s education reforms are at risk of politicization UkraineAlert by Andrew D’Anieri
Ukraine s education system has experienced a number of reforms in recent years. (REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
For the past three years, Ukraine has made relatively steady progress towards modernization of its education system while largely avoiding the political maneuvering that has stalled other reform programs. This nonpartisan success story is now under threat thanks to the controversial recent confirmation of Serhiy Shkarlet as Minister of Education and Science, an appointment that has dragged Ukraine’s ambitious educational reforms firmly into the political fray.
Shkarlet was first appointed acting Minister of Education in June 2020. He had previously spent a decade as rector of the National Technological University, a role that made him the youngest ever rector of a large Ukrainian university. Shkarlet has come under fire for comments he made in