Tigipko: Students to have their stipends raised by 37.5%

The Ukrainian government has increased stipends for students, Deputy Prime Minister and Social Policy Minister Sergiy Tigipko has said. 

While commenting on the adoption at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday of a resolution setting the size of stipends for the students of vocational schools, universities and institutes, he said that from now the basic level of stipends for such students had been raised on average by 37.5%.

According to the press service of the Social Policy Ministry, the size of stipends was raised for students of vocational schools from Hr 200 to Hr 275 (by 37.5%), for students of higher educational institutions of the first and second levels of accreditation earning a junior specialist's or bachelor's degree from Hr 400 to Hr 550 (by 37.5%), and for students of higher educational institutions of the third and fourth levels of accreditation earning a bachelor's, specialist's or master's degree from Hr 530 to Hr 730 (by 37.7%).

Tigipko said that a significant increase in stipends was also envisaged for orphans. The basic level of stipends for students who are orphans and children deprived of parental care, as well as students who were left without parents during their studies at the age of 18 to 23 years, has been increased from Hr 550 to Hr 850 (by 54.5%). The basic level of stipends for students of universities who are orphans and children deprived of parental care, as well as students who were left without parents during their studies at the age of 18 to 23 years, has been increased from Hr 1,160 to Hr 1,760 (by 51.7%).

Tigipko said that the stipends for students were last increased in 2008 and that they had only been indexed to inflation since then.