Priority Directions in Modern Education:

Canadian-Ukrainian Experience

Prof. Mykola Zhurba is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of German and Slavic Studies at the
University of Manitoba. He is a Ukrainian scientist, researcher and developer of author courses on
the issues of modern education (philosophical, managerial and psychological aspects) for university
students, teachers and faculty.
He has many years of teaching and administrative experience. In the past, Prof. Zhurba worked as
the Head of the Department of Philosophy at the Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National
University; he was also the Head of the Department of Education Management at the Luhansk
Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education (Ukraine). In addition to working in
various positions in Ukraine, Prof. Zhurba also worked as a visiting professor at the Jagiellonian
University and WSB National Louis University (Poland). He has completed training, internships,
and advanced training under various international programs and projects in Ukraine, Poland,
France, Germany, Finland, and Canada.

The priority areas of reforming modern education in Ukraine in the context of war (2014-2024) are
outlined and analyzed, and the contours of a new educational paradigm are presented in the study.
Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult periods in the history of the independent state with
numerous casualties, destruction of infrastructure, energy blockade, temporarily displaced
educational institutions and other consequences of the war. Despite these difficult circumstances, it
is noted that in recent years, the educational environment of Ukraine has undergone significant
changes due to the adoption of new laws, concepts and other regulatory documents. The
philosophical concept of understanding modern education in the postmodern era, its features, new
challenges and opportunities are also presented in the proposed study, based on the research
conducted, primarily by Canadian scholars. It is noted that the processes of globalization, as well as
the universalization of access to information and modern technologies, contribute to the formation
of common expectations and preferences among Ukrainian and Canadian students. It is emphasized
that despite the geographical distance, Ukraine and Canada have common educational priorities and
tendencies for further development.