The National Pedagogical University Drahomanova
The National Pedagogical University Dragomanova (NPU) is one of Kyiv’s most prestigious universities; it is also one of the most historic. Founded in 1834, it began as the Pedagogical Institute connected to the St. Volodymyr University. It became a separate entity in 1933, and was named after Gorky in 1936, until it’s name changed again in 1991 and it was named after Dragomanova. In 1993, it achieved the status of university and in 1997 it achieved a national university statues. Today the University enjoys a III-IV accreditation level.
Who is the University named after? Mykhailo Petrovych Drahomanov, born on September 18, 1841, was an academic lecturer and politician. Born to a noble family, Drahomanov studied at the Taras Shevchenko University; he greatly respected Taras Shevchenko, the man, and read a eulogy when Shevchenko’s remains were relocated to their final resting place in Khaniv. Drahomanov began his career as a lecturer at the Kyiv University in 1870. A political leftist, Drahomanov was outspoken about Ukrainian nationalism at a time when repression from the Russian Empire was at a peak; he was exiled and continued his life and lecturing in Geneva. His legacy promoted a sense of national Ukrainian identity particularly in the Halychyna region and his radical socialist principles set a precedent for the future political climate in Ukraine, particularly at the turn of the century.
NPU has six buildings and approximately 19 different faculties. Today, the University serves about 16,000 students with approximately 500 international students. Among those students include famous alumni: two presidents of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk and Viktor Yushchenko, Vitali Klitschko, the former boxer (and first professional boxer to obtain a PhD.), politician and current mayor of Kyiv and his brother Volodymyr Klitschko.
For more information about the university visit their website.
