Ukraine

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is the principal authority responsible for organizing Olympiads for school students. The Ministry approves the Regulations on Ukrainian Student Olympiads and oversees compliance with these Regulations throughout all stages of the competition.

Address: 10 Beresteiskyi Ave, Kyiv, 01135, Ukraine

mon.gov.ua/en

Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is the primary organizer of the Ukrainian Biology Olympiad for school students. The Olympiad is financed by Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The Olympiad consists of three stages:

1st stage – district (municipal) level:

Held in October and organized by district (municipal) education authorities.

2nd stage – regional level (in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea – republican level; in the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol – municipal level):

Held in December–January and organized by regional education authorities.

3rd stage – national level:

Held in March–April and organized by Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The final (the 3rd) stage of the Olympiad consists of two parts: a theoretical and practical tours. The competition tasks are prepared by a commission whose members are approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The Olympiad is typically hosted in the capital city of the region responsible for organizing the event. The region selected to host the Ukrainian Biology Olympiad in the following year is determined according to a schedule approved by Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. By rotating the host region annually, the Olympiad encourages local financial institutions and charitable foundations to participate as sponsors.

The first stage of selection includes all secondary schools in Ukraine. As a result, the typical number of participants ranges from 19,000 to 25,000 students.

In the 1st stage, students complete single-choice tests, multiple-choice tests, and statement-analysis tests (True/False type). Tasks for the 1st stage are prepared by a commission appointed by the respective district authorities.

Tasks for the 2nd stage include single-choice questions, multiple-choice tests, and True/False statement-analysis tests. In addition, the 2nd round of the Olympiad includes practical tasks (at least two for each grade level).

Tasks for the 3rd stage of the Olympiad are prepared by a commission whose membership is approved by Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. These tasks include single-choice questions, multiple-choice tests, True/False statement-analysis tests, as well as practical work assignments (three laboratory stations, one for each participating grade level, representing different areas of biology).

Students prepare independently or with the assistance of a school teacher for their participation in the 1st stage. Likewise, they may study on their own or with a school teacher for the 2nd stage.

A one-week training and selection camp is organized for the winners of the 2nd stage. The results of this camp are taken into consideration when forming the team for the 3rd stage.

After the 3rd stage is completed, a group of eight students is selected. This group participates in a two-week training and selection camp for the International Biology Olympiad (IBO). The camp concludes with the selection of four students who will represent Ukraine as the national IBO team.

During their preparation for the Olympiad, students use school textbooks, university-level textbooks, lecture materials corresponding to school, college, or university curricula (available in print or on the websites of educational institutions), translated educational literature, as well as past tasks from national and International Biology Olympiads, which are accessible on the website of the National Biology Olympiad.

To support student preparation and to facilitate the organization of the Biology Olympiad, educational and methodological materials are provided at various stages of the competition. These materials include methodological recommendations for student training, analyses of tasks and questions, guidelines for designing Olympiad tasks and evaluation criteria, as well as examples of tasks used in previous years.

1st Stage: Winners of the 1st stage of the Olympiad are awarded diplomas of I, II, and III levels by district or municipal education authorities.

2nd Stage: Winners of the 2nd stage are awarded diplomas of I, II, and III levels by regional education authorities. Participants of the 2nd stage may also receive prizes from organizing committees, jury members, charitable foundations, sponsors, or other supporters.

3rd Stage: Winners of the 3rd stage are awarded diplomas of I, II, and III levels by Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. All other participants receive a participant diploma.

Winners of the 3rd stage who achieve the highest scores within the same grade (i.e., first place with the highest points among students of the same grade) and who continue their education in Ukraine are granted Presidential Allowances, which are paid monthly for one year from funds allocated to Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine from the State Budget.

Diplomas of I, II, and III levels awarded at the 3rd stage provide the recipients with the right to exemption from entrance examinations for the corresponding majors at Ukrainian universities.

Participants of the spring training and selection camp are exempted from the Final State Validation.

International Biology Olympiad (IBO) winners are also granted Presidential Allowances, which are paid monthly for one year from the funds provided to the educational institution where the student is enrolled. Diplomas are presented at the ceremonial closing of the Olympiad.

Any willing student from grades 8 to 11 may participate in the 1st stage of the Biology Olympiad. Any restrictions that infringe on students’ right to participate in the 1st stage are strictly prohibited. Only students who are winners of the previous stage of the Biology Olympiad are eligible to participate in the 2nd and 3rd stages. The number of winners at each stage is determined by the organizing committee of that stage. Participants in each subsequent stage are selected individually by the organizing committee of the previous stage in coordination with the jury.

Regional teams (in the case of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea – republican teams) and municipal teams from Kyiv and Sevastopol participate in the 3rd stage. The number of participants in each team is determined based on the team’s rating, which is calculated according to team performance over the previous two years.

The academic year begins on September 1 and concludes on May 31. After the end of regular classes, students in grades 8 and 10 participate in educational excursions and practical training, which lasts ten days, while students in grades 9 and 11 take the Final State Assessment, which continues until June 20.

Biology is taught in grades 7 to 11 for 2 hours per week. In schools with an advanced focus on mathematics or foreign languages, only 1 hour per week is allocated to biology classes in grade 11.

In basic schools (grades 5 to 9), the maximum number of hours, 4 hours per week, is dedicated to biology in grades 8 and 9 in schools with an enhanced biology curriculum. In senior school(grades 10 and 11), the maximum number of teaching hours, 4–5 hours per week, is allocated for classes specializing in natural sciences.

The number of classes in secondary schools is regulated by State Standards and may vary between individual educational institutions according to their curricula. The maximum educational workload in secondary schools is set at 33 hours per week.

Students and their teachers receive information regarding the terms and conditions of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stages of the Olympiad from materials distributed to educational institutions by regional or municipal education authorities or from the official website of Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Information from Ministry of Education and Science regarding the 3rd stage of the Olympiad is published on the websites of both the Ministry and the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and is also provided to regional education authorities. Students at schools are informed through official announcements posted on bulletin boards, which include the competition schedule for the respective stage of the Olympiad.

The primary sources of the relevant information are the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Approximately 78%of all general secondaryschools participate in the Ukrainian Biology Olympiad.

Information about the Ukranian Biology Olympiad and its results is published on the websites of Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the official Olympiad website. The conduct of the 3rd stage is also covered in newspapers and on television channels in the regions where the Olympiad is held that year.