The analysis of trends in the educational preferences of general secondary education leavers and professional pre-higher education graduates in the choice of natural sciences

Abstract

The dynamics of the educational preferences of General Secondary Education Institutions (GSEI) leavers and Professional Pre-Higher Education Institutions (PPHEI) graduates in Ukraine during 2018–2025 regarding their choice of natural science disciplines (Chemistry and Biology) for taking the External Independent Evaluation (EIT) / National Multi-subject Test (NMT) has been analyzed.

Aim. To identify the relationship between nationwide educational trends and the admission statistics to the National University of Pharmacy (NUPh), followed by an assessment of probable consequences for the staffing of the pharmaceutical sector.

Materials and methods. The research methodology is based on the statistical analysis of reports from the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA) and data from the NUPh Admissions Committee covering the pre-crisis (2018–2019), pandemic (2020–2021), and wartime (2022–2025) periods.

Results and discussion. The stability of interest among schoolchildren in Biology and negative dynamics regarding the choice of Chemistry have been found. In our opinion, this pattern leads to discrepancies between the entry-level knowledge of applicants and the requirements of higher pharmaceutical education standards where the chemical component is a priority. This creates prerequisites for a critical imbalance in the personnel training system, resulting in the emergence of specialists with an insufficient level of chemical competence necessary for work in the pharmaceutical sector on the labor market. The ratio of registrants for Chemistry versus Biology dropped from 2018 to 2025, indicating the actual collapse of Chemistry as an elective subject. This situation is due to a number of factors, namely: regulatory (the introduction of the Standard in 2022, which limited the possibility of studying by correspondence for GSEI leavers and shortened study terms for PPHEI graduates in educational programs of the area of knowledge 22 “Healthcare”, except for specialty 226 “Pharmacy, Industrial Pharmacy”), administrative (raising the entry threshold score to 150), and security (martial law). A direct correlation has been found between the nationwide decline in the popularity of Chemistry and the reduction in the share of applicants to the NUPh with a “Chemistry” certificate for the period mentioned by more than 20 times.

Conclusions. The study confirms a direct link between a declining interest in natural sciences and a reduction of the quality contingent of applicants for specialty 226 “Pharmacy, Industrial Pharmacy” / I8 “Pharmacy”. This problem has been identified as systemic and critical; it will inevitably lead to staff shortages and poses direct threats to public health. Comprehensive solutions have been proposed, including the modernization of school curricula, strengthening of career guidance, and the popularization of the pharmacist profession.