History of Pereiaslav University

Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, as an integral part of the national education system, has its historical origins, having gone through long periods of development from education for the privileged to public education.

Its roots date back to the first half of the XVIII century, namely to 2.10.1738, when a collegium was founded in Pereiaslav. At that time, there were already Chernihiv (1700) and Kharkiv (1726) colleges. During the XVIII century, the Pereiaslav Collegium became an integral part of the cultural life of the city and the Kyiv region, and played a fundamental role in the development of modern higher pedagogical education on the Left-bank of Ukraine. In 1808, after the reform of religious schools, the Pereiaslav College was reorganized into a seminary, which continued the educational traditions of the region, including teacher training.

The new socio-economic conditions and cultural demands of society in the early XX century led to a significant restructuring of the system of teacher education. Each subsequent stage in the development of teacher education in the Kyiv region was associated with fundamental changes in the system of teacher training. As a result, in 1956, another reorganization took place, which intensified the work of the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Pedagogical School. In 30 years, it was transformed into a branch of the Kyiv Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky. In 1993, on the basis of a branch of the capital’s Pedagogical University, the H. Skovoroda Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Pedagogical Institute was established, which received university status in February 2002, and was accredited at the IV level in 2004 and 2010. In 2005, it was renamed Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Hryhorii Skovoroda State Pedagogical University, and on July 14, 2021, due to the previous renaming of the city and in order to simplify the name of the institution in the established European tradition of naming higher education institutions, it received a new official name – Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav.

At the same time, in the first decade of the XXI century, the university implemented the model of a multidisciplinary institution by introducing new educational programs and cooperating with educational, scientific and business structures. At present, Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav continues to provide quality support for existing and promotes the launch of new educational programs in other fields of knowledge and strengthens the relevant logistical and human resources in accordance with licensing and accreditation requirements. The relevant changes were reflected in the name and in the University Charter, which has become a standard.

Today, Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav is a modern regional institution of higher education, whose activities are based on the deep centuries-old traditions of educational development in Pereiaslav and meet the modern requirements of the information society and the best examples of national higher education. A high level of educational process at the University is ensured by 341 teachers, including 54 professors, 217 associate professors, and 3 full-time research and teaching staff members who are full members of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine. Currently, the university provides training for specialists in educational, educational-scientific and scientific levels. As of the end of 2023, the university has 7124 students, which is actually ¼ of the total population of Pereiaslav (as of 2020, it was 26,786 residents).