Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Vadym LOKTIEV wrote to the President of Ukraine, where he reflected as follows:
“… My letter to you, a copy of which I also send to the Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko, is caused by the fact that the pleasant and important information about the recent July International Physics Competition was passed over in Ukraine, especially, in contrast to the Tokyo Olympics. The Physics Competition participants represented 76 countries, including the United States, Germany, China, the Republic of Korea. The honor of our nation was defended by Makar Kuznetsov and Volodymyr Kuzma (both from Lviv), Danylo Zabilsky and Angelina Morgay (from Mariupol) and Artem Saraiev (from Kharkiv), who gained knowledge both in the west and in the east of Ukraine.
They were only five, but none of them was left without an award, and in my opinion, it is extremely significant: our team was awarded gold, silver and three bronze medals. This is an explicit evidence that Ukraine and its school teachers-devotees can practice and train school students in the field of serious academic disciplines at a high level … »
According to the academician, Ukraine achieves similar successes at international competitions in other sciences, but little is known about them in Ukraine, as well as about the last scientific competition, there is practically no news about it in the national media – in contrast to examples when successes are achieved by sportsmen or musicians. “Without diminishing the importance of the latter,” Vadym Loktiev writes, “I will express my opinion that the same broad and loud, figuratively speaking, advertising of intellectual achievements, which require great work, motivation, and real talent, should accompany the successes of the winners.” It “would definitely promote the interest of schoolchildren to natural sciences; as you know, at present there are big problems with studying these subjects in Ukrainian schools. The reasons are known and have been voiced many times: the obvious neglect of the development of science and thus the loss of the prestige of scientific work. If its low status is maintained… and there is lack of due respect for personnel who, despite all obstacles, direct their efforts and ability to study nature, there will be no development of innovation, economy, defense, medicine – in short, there will be no strong, authoritative, independent Ukrainian state!”
… The Svit newspaper wrote about these achievements of young physicists (№ 29-30, 2021), and the winners of other scientific competitions, similar information was found in other media too. But we understand well that the essence of the matter consists not only in specific stories about specific gifted children. The point is the attitude of the State, even more, the attitude of the society to appreciating not only the spectacular talents that evoke aesthetic emotions and, in fact, contribute to the entertainment industry (although they require great effort and work), but also those whose quiet, invisible, often incomprehensible mental work – usually, no less long-lasting and exhausting – ultimately brings these achievements and benefits to the country and society that improve the quality of life and which the society appreciates the most.
We asked Vadym Loktiev to comment on his appeal to Volodymyr Zelensky.
– I am worried that Ukraine, neglecting talents in scientific fields, sets priorities in the way as we can see. Ukraine raises some of these talents, glorifies them, however, it does not notice others worthy of it. And even if the society as a whole is not interested in it yet, it is necessary, at least sometimes, to go ahead, to set milestones… I am convinced that this is a political, state affair to define those whom we appreciate and those whom we support. This is, to a certain extent, the upbringing of the society: it is necessary to show that our country definitely appreciates brainpower, knowledge, science. This is our future.
– What do you want from the President, how should he react?
– You see, I chose yet one person as the addressee. When the media tells me about an outstanding singer or conductor, especially young people, who have performed well in Europe or in the world, about whom I knew nothing, but I take information from such media and my knowledge expands.
Here we have the same matter. There are gifted children, they win all over the world, but no one reports about them, so it turns out as we do not have such children in the country. The children themselves are not public, as well as those who train them, they do not know how to advertise themselves and will not do it.
I repeat, it is a state matter to raise the status of people which will make scientific discoveries in the future, introduce new technologies, raise the economy and people’s well-being… Whom else can we rely on? Therefore, it is necessary to speak about them on television, write in different publications. And the “message” must be “from above”: the state recognizes, the state supports them. In this context, I see a certain shortcoming of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy too. Firstly, science is a component of general culture, and secondly, who else should include information about the international scientific competitions and their winners in the information policy? Someone may disagree with me, but the medalists of such competitions, where dozens of countries participate, including the most developed countries, deserve honor no less than the winners of art or sports competitions.
I mentioned in my letter that the Decree on awarding the winners of the international scientific competitions with the prizes of the President of Ukraine were issued. It is good. But, “money is not a single thing which is needed”, people say. Public support, recognition is very important … This is the case of both schoolchildren and students, who, as a rule, come back after international scientific competitions with medals. On the other hand, such recognition will encourage children to learn natural subjects, which are not very demanded now.
– That is, it is a question of building an integral system of support and popularization of “mental” talents.
– Yes, it is necessary to raise the prestige of knowledge in the society. You know, this year one third of students did not pass the standardized external testing on mathematics. And the tasks were quite simple. This is very disturbing. The level of knowledge in special subjects has fallen. Unfortunately, this level is very low. We feel it in higher education institutions, I can say it basing on my own teaching experience. At schools it is just a trouble. The Year of Mathematics is over, but nothing has changed…
– Now it’s the turn of the Year of Physics?
– The Year of Physics should be every year, as well as other subjects. I’m afraid we won’t change the situation with such actions. It is necessary to change the attitude to learning subjects. We remember the discussion of the past years: parents complain that it is difficult for schoolchildren to learn, children have a heavy workload. “Let’s combine physics, mathematics and something else…” I want to say that, compared to how I studied (I really studied, in the sense, worked, and not for good grades), I do not believe that the study load is much greater. At least in physics. How do we reduce the academic program? We do it reducing knowledge, lowering the level.
We must appreciate people who succeed. There are many of them. On the Maidan, on Independence Day, the President publicly gave the Golden Star of the Hero of Ukraine to physics teacher Ilia M. Gelfgat from Kharkiv, who trained many champions and prize-winners of various scientific competitions. There is a super professional in Vinnytsia – Yuriy Ya. Pasikhov. They are physics teachers, and the list of best teachers is long. They know to train champions, raising the level of knowledge, teaching children to think, raising the margin of students’ capacity.
This year, the Ministry did not participate in team formation, but teachers, parents, and sponsors still managed to send school students to the Physics Competition. Today, five of them who were already mentioned in our conversation, are university students: four study in Kyiv, and one in Lviv. Although they were invited by universities of other countries.
I would say that we need to create a system when such gifted students may be easily detected. They must be detected and led in the similar way as sportsmen are detected and led. Americans, for example, have a rating system. We noticed that the best student is always the best among those who study with him or her in any education institution. He or she is the best in the school class, then enters the university, maybe at the beginning he/she lags behind because the others studied in the best schools, but a year passes and he/she is the best student again. Americans track such schoolchildren, then students, do not let them out of sight. We are not interested in it, but the time has come when we need to detect and support such children. First of all, paying attention to their efforts and their successes.
Then they will become examples that inspire young people. They will be the heroes of our time. Because this is exactly what science, the state and society need.
Larysa OSTROLUTSKA
Svit newspaper, №33-34, September 2021