Since 2004, the World Bank has organized essay contests that allow young people to express their opinions about the quality of higher education, and employment, and their perspectives on the development of informal education in Ukraine.
Promoting Active Citizen Engagement (ACTION) in Combating Corruption in Ukraine Project is implemented by Management Systems International (MSI) in partnership with Ukrainian organizations with the financial support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Project is a two-year activity that supports non-governmental monitoring and advocacy on priority areas in the fight against corruption, focusing particularly on issues identified by the Government of Ukraine in its Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Threshold Country Plan.
Corruption in Higher Educational Institutions is the topic for the National Essay Contest 2008.
The contest raises awareness of the negative influence that corruption has on lives of individual citizens and society as a whole. It also helps to develop a critical view of corruption and promotes civil engagement in anti-corruption programs in Ukraine.
Participants express their opinions on one of the following issues:
1. Does corruption influence the value and quality of education?
2. In what way does bribery affect the quality of learning?
3. Can one rise in the higher education system without "connections"?
4. Can standardized external testing decrease the level of corruption during the admission process to higher education institutions?
5. What can I do to counter corruption in higher education institutions?
Contest requirements:
Participant must:
- Be between 15 to 25-years old
- Submit a 1000-word essay in Ukrainian or Russian language according to requirements listed bellow;
- E-mail essays to \n \n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it before October 31, 2008.
Application must contain following information:
1. First and last name
2. E-mail address
3. Telephone number with an area code
4. Mailing address
5. Educational institution attended, if applicable
6. How did you find out about the contest?
7. Chosen essay topic and/or question
8. Essay
Essay evaluation:
All submitted works will be evaluated by the independent commission of representatives from the World Bank, the ACTION Project, the Ministry on Youth, Family and Sports, the UN, and other international organizations according to the following criteria:
- compliance to the topic and contest requirements;
- quality of work i.e. in-depth analysis of the issue, originality, argumentation, knowledge and understanding of social, economical, political, and cultural processes connected to corruption etc.;
- personal experiences, examples, and practical suggestions;
- social utility of the analyses;
- correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Winners will be awarded prizes during ceremonies held for regional and national levels.
The ACTION Project and the World Bank reserve the right to publish essays of the contest winners.
Contact information:
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The World Bank Office |
ACTION Project 16 Anri Barbiusa str., Apt.78 Kyiv 03150, Ukraine Telephone / Fax: (+38044) 220 10 29 E-mail: \n \n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Attachment 1.
Definition of an essay:
An essay is an analytical or interpretive composition which deals with a subject from a personal point of view. The writer of an essay must convince the reader that his/her viewpoint makes sense. The heart of good essay writing is the quality of your argument and the level of analysis. The essay must go beyond description and narrative. It should represent your considered perspective and your informed thoughts on the issue.
What do essay questions ask for?:
When writing an essay you must first have a firm understanding of the subject matter. You must acquire a grasp of the factual material, and then you must be informed on various scholarly perspectives, arguments, and debates with regard to the topic; finally you must be aware of different interpretations among scholars. After all of this, you can then formulate your own point of view. Essay questions ask you to:
- present or defend a point of view;
- show the relationship between events or people or concepts;
- compare or contrast people, events, doctrines, or ideas;
- illustrate similarities and differences between people, ideas, time periods, or cultures.
How can I prepare to write a good essay?:
Think about the essay question you are answering, what it means and what you're being asked to do. Be sure of your point of view. You cannot cover every aspect of a topic, but, once you select your point of view, you can find relevant facts to back it up. Stick with your thesis until the end. You can memorize some key words and phrases in advance such as "with respect to" "the most important element", "with the exception of". You must become familiar with vocabulary and specific terminology related to the subject. And you can learn some famous maxims or adages such as "I am a citizen, not of Athens , nor of Greece , but of the world, (Socrates), "Ars longa, vita breva" or "Man doesn't live by bread alone" and use them to make your point in your essay.
How should the essay be structured?:
The essay should contain 4-5 paragraphs: an introductory paragraph, 2-3 supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. A paragraph is a cluster of sentences revolving around one topic, thought, or idea. You use paragraphs to show where one group of thoughts ends and where another group of thoughts begins.[1]
[1] Benne Hope. How To Write An Essay For Test. Salem State College. 2 September 2008 <http://w3.salemstate.edu/~hbenne/pdfs/essay.pdf>.
Popular Themes
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