The Role of Higher Education for Ensuring National Security in Ukraine

Abstract

Education is a strategic tool; therefore, the study of the potentials of higher education for ensuring national security is very important, particularly when threats are increasing. The research objective is to reveal the role of higher education for national security and to present the effective educational practices related to its securitization. The qualitative methodology was applied (contextual understanding method, systematic generation of theories, content analysis, interviews, focus groups, and observations) to gather in-depth information, to examine the contextual factors of securitization, and to verify the efficiency of educational practices. Over 70 recent scientific works were selected to evaluate the problem objectively from the point of view of emerging threats. The study was conducted among 134 participants involved in the field of higher education. It resulted in the analysis of various approaches to defining higher education in the context of national security; outlining functions of higher education in peace and war time; and verification of educational practices used to implement securitization of higher education during the war. The findings showed that securitization of higher education may be implemented due to the following educational practices: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education, strategic talent development, Research and Development, international collaboration, crisis response training, national security scholarships, simulation-based learning, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, cybersecurity training, online learning, remote training, Big Data, e-learning, secure communication, drone technology training, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The outcomes can be applied within the educational institutions to improve the educational process and enhance national security.