The campaign started on April 15. Over two weeks, representatives of Wroclaw will visit 26 higher education institutions located in Kyiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. Representatives of six universities went to Ukraine: the University of Wroclaw, the Polytechnic Institute, the Academy of Economics, as well as private educational institutions – the University of Lower Silesia, the Asesor Academy, and the Banking Academy.
“We are forced to look for new students because in 7-10 years the period of demographic growth will end, and the wind will blow through the beautiful university buildings that are now being built,” argues Pavel Romashkan, director of the Wroclaw city advertising bureau at the city administration. “We will present ten faculties. But from experience we already know that Ukrainians prefer philology and psychology,” says Witold Leśniak from the University of Wroclaw.
According to Gazeta Wyborcza, this is the second stage of the campaign aimed at popularizing Wroclaw universities and the city itself in the eastern regions. Last December, it took place in Lviv, Rivne, Lutsk and Ternopil. A website was also opened providing information about the conditions of studying in Poland. Representatives of the city administration and universities held several dozen meetings at Ukrainian educational institutions. “We are confident that it is necessary to meet and answer questions. We hope that Ukrainian media will be interested in our campaign,” says Pavel Romashkan.
The Ukrainians themselves admitted that studying in Wroclaw is too expensive. “We want to offer a model: study and work. Every student from Ukraine can apply for temporary employment. Some are already using this, and the voivodeship administration, which issues permits, will meet us halfway,” promises Romashkan. He also reminded of the possibility of receiving a scholarship from the Ministry of Education or from Wroclaw companies ready to help students from Ukraine. There are already more than ten such firms in Wroclaw.
“Of course, we do not expect that many Ukrainians will suddenly appear in Wroclaw. It is about them starting to consider the possibility of studying with us. Our diplomas are recognized throughout Europe. After December, several hundred letters and phone calls have already come in,” says the director of the Wroclaw city advertising bureau.