Militarist and Plagiarist Oksen Lisovyi Should not Be Ukraine's Minister of Education and Science: Report of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement

Abstract

This report reveals that the behaviour of the newly appointed Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Oksen Lisovyi, is incompatible with the fundamental values of academic integrity and the culture of peace and nonviolence, so because of that he is not eligible to hold leadership positions in the field of education and science. Lisovyi's PhD thesis defended in 2012 contains 43% of plagiarism and has no scientific novelty. Our discovery of a phrase, odious in the patriotic circles, plagiarized from Viktor Yanukovych and Vadym Kolesnichenko, in the PhD thesis of the militant Ukrainian patriot Lisovyi confirms the previously expressed guesses in the scientific community that Lisovyi probably did not wrote his PhD thesis himself. Oksen Lisovyi is an opposite of all that minister of education and science should be. He is not a civilian professional of unquestionable integrity with a plan and aptitude to build knowledge-based peaceful future. Lisovyi must resign and tell the public true story of his PhD thesis. Lisovyi's supporters in the parliament must convince him to resign or initiate his impeachment instead of trying to change legislation to give plagiarists saving face way to give up PhD degrees obtained by fraud. Pacifist critique of militarist and plagiarist minister must be covered fairly by the media. Ukrainian education and science system must take seriously responsibility to build a culture of peace and nonviolence, to develop academic integrity and to counter academic fraud. Getting rid of Lisovyi could be a good first step. Oksen Lisovyi is not an academic but a soldier by his public image. He makes no secret of his intentions to turn education into weapon, teach all Ukrainians to live with and participate in endless war, make combat skills a part of mandatory school curriculum with no exceptions to conscientious objectors and engage youth into development of military technologies. Under directorship of Oksen Lisovyi the Junior Academy of Sciences (JAS) of Ukraine teaches schoolchildren to wage information war, to work for military industrial complex, to support and help Armed Forces of Ukraine and to perceive as “enemies” or “traitors” anyone who dares to criticize Ukrainian army or NATO. Being a UNESCO category 2 centre, JAS must stop militarization of youth which contradicts UNECO Constitution and its peacebuilding mission.

Note: Downloadable document is in both Ukrainian and English.

Keywords: militarism, plagiarism, Ukraine, academic integrity, academic fraud, culture of peace

JEL Classification: I20