MykolaTomenko: he, who does not love his small home, is not able to love Ukraine

     On April, 2 the head of the Supervisory council, a famous politician and public man, the head of the committee on ecology policy, environmental management and elimination of the consequences of Chornobyl catastrophe of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine visited the university. 
     Mykola Tomenko devoted his visit to communicating with the scientific and teaching staff, familiarity with material and technical base. The head of the supervisory council aimed at understanding the ideology of the university, perceiving its problems, realizing what needs a help and how to perform it in a best way. Actually, this was the subject of dialogue between Mykola Tomenko and the chancellor Stanislav Nikolaienko, vice-chancellors Valerii Ishchenko, Andrii Kudin and Serhii Kvasha, scientific secretary Oksana Baranovska.

     The head of the supervisory council visited one of the best and the biggest in Ukraine department of veterinary medicine. Mykola Tomenko visited a several chairs and found out the opinion of scientists both on university and nationwide problems. He met with the lecturers of veterinary and sanitary examination chair and students of MA course who had a practical class of milk hygiene. The fact that the safety and quality of food today is the issue of national priority, doesn’t give a rise to doubts for anybody. 
     But today's existing approaches to legislation on this subject are wrong. This is exactly what chairman and Professor Olha Yakubchak told about with a heavy heart. Changing them is the necessity of today.

     Mykola Tomenko visited the chair of physiology, pathophysiology and immunology of animals and get an idea about scientific problems and its practical value.
     In particular, it concerned cellular technology. Professor Anatolii Mazurkevych told about the intention to create a center of cellular technology, documents of which are already transferred to the appropriate authorities.

     The chair of anatomy and histology of farm animals and its anatomical museum impressed the guest. This museum has about a thousand exhibits and doesn’t have competitors among similar departments in Ukraine, and elsewhere. The chairman Oleh Melnyk shared what efforts it costed. And occasionally Mykola Tomenko told that the chair has an interesting and promising project with Polish colleagues. 

     If only they have funds within the research projects of EU! The head of the supervisory council of the university promised to give a support if the project has an environmental component.
     And the dean of the department Mykola Tsvilikhovskyi drew attention to the need to build a base for clinics.

     Further Mykola Tomenko was waited for in TSI of energy, automation and energy saving. The director of the institute Volodymyr Kozyrskyi presented the latest for today promising developments of the scientists of the institute, particularly in automated technological process control in agriculture, spoke about its actual implementation. They are sure, the business will stand in line for them.

     Having visited the research laboratories and classrooms, Mykola Tomenko and Stanislav Nikolaienko talked to students, and scientific and teaching staff. 
     Educators were interested in sore point of pensions. We are looking for the ways to smooth tensions connected with it, said the head of the university. Also, educators of the Training Scientific Institute (ESI) are concerned about new lists of training specialists and professions: it practically emasculates engineering, including agricultural one. This cannot be allowed.

     The staff of liberal and pedagogy department and traditional Ukrainian round loaf expected the meeting with Mykola Tomenko. The special appeal of the department and the whole university - the chair of cultural studies presented to all guests a patriotic song. 
    The dean Vasyl Shynkaruk told the head of the supervisory council briefly about the division led by him and invited Mykola to give a speech. 

    Mykola Tomenko presented, as he calls it, a revolutionary strategy - the transformation of the part of the exclusion zone around Chornobyl into the nature reserve and changing an attitude to this area. Also he assured all the guests that the construction of a new shelter with a 100-year warranty will soon be completed. 

     The next, which drew the attention of parliamentarian is the new Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education". An evolutionary approach should be applied in education, according to Mykola Tomenko. In particular, some of its regulations should be clarified, for example, the procedure of electing the heads of universities and its structural subdivisions. 

    Mykola Tomenko always organizes many different educational activities and helps those who promote the ideology of patriotism. And today it is surely necessary. So he shared with educators one of his ideas, how to popularize Ukraine. 
    But before presenting Ukraine to the world, it must be shown to Ukrainians. 
    Today we need to educate the nation on the heroic examples and positive philosophy as a combining point. 
    This can be realized only by means of evolutionary progress and educational activities, as they are very important ideological weapon. But the right emphasis on humanitarian policy should be done. 
    And finally, we have to stop being a one-day-country. Also Mykola noticed that he, who doesn’t love his small motherland, hometown or village, or university, is unable to love Ukraine.

    The public, in particular representatives of liberal and pedagogical sciences and students were worried by relatives and plaintive question. Thus, Professor Anatolii Bezpalenko asked the guest his opinion on studying Ukrainian language in universities. Mykola Tomenko stated that such subjects must be in the curriculum. Another thing - the approach to teaching the subject, it must be innovative and of problem format. 
     And he added: moreover, all students should listen to the story of their land and the history of their educational institution.

     The representatives of students of the department called for filling Ukrainian TV- and radio-broadcast with Ukrainian language and national media products. 
     But this issue lacks creative ideas and technology for implementation. The guest concluded the meeting hoping that together we will make our country a promising European state, and gave an excellent selection of books and CDs with educational films about Ukraine and sound recordings of author's poems, reciting by the famous Ukrainian poets. 

Valentyn Obrambalskyi,
Olha Nakonechna