Historical Background

The proclamation of an independent Ukrainian state stimulated the development of pedagogical creativity, intensified the search for new organizational and technological models of teaching and educational process. New educational institutions, author and alternative schools, original concepts of training and education began to emerge. There was a need for thorough study, scientific understanding and development on this basis of the strategy and tactics of the development of the Ukrainian school. This activated the scientific and pedagogical community to create its own scientific and pedagogical centre.

Supporting the proposal of leading Ukrainian scientists, the President of Ukraine L.M. Kravchuk on March 4, 1992, signed a Decree on the foundation of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine (APN of Ukraine) as the highest sectoral scientific institution. Pursuant to this Decree, on June 16, 1992, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution providing for specific measures for the formation of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine. M.D. Yarmachenko was appointed the President-Organizer. The full members - founders of the Academy were 15 well-known scientists in Ukraine (F.S. Arvat, E.G. Goncharuk, O.A. Zakharenko, L.A. Kanishchenko, A.V. Kirichuk, V.M. Madzigon, B.I. Mokin, V.F. Prysnyakov, I.F. Prokopenko O.Ya. Savchenko, V.I. Skok, V.V. Skopenko, P.M. Talanchuk, M.I. Shkil, M.D. Yarmachenko).

A meeting of academicians-founders was held on November 17, 1992, and completed the formation of the Academy. 7 full members and 17 corresponding members of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine were elected. On November 18, 1992, at the first General Meeting of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, M.D. Yarmachenko was elected the President of the Academy, L.O. Kanishchenko –  the Vice- President, and O.Y. Savchenko – Chief Scientific Secretary. Three departments were formed: Department of Theory and History of Education; Department of Didactics, Methods and Information Ttechnologies in Education; Department of Psychology, Age Physiology and Defectology. The Academy included the Research Institute of Pedagogy, the Research Institute of Psychology and the Republican Pedagogical Museum.

On March 30-31, 1993, the General Meeting of the Academy adopted the Statute of the Academy and the Regulations on its departments, elected heads of departments, who were also vice-presidents (vice-president - head of the Department of Theory and History of Pedagogy - full member of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine V.M. Madzigon, vice-president - head of the Department of Didactics, Methodology and Information Technologies in Education - full member of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine S.U. Goncharenko, vice-president - head of the Department of Psychology, Age Physiology and Defectology - full member of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine O.V. Kyrychuk). The meeting approved the thematic plan of scientific and research work of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine for 1993. Meetings of the departments of the Academy were also held, at which organizational issues were resolved (the bureau of the departments was elected, plans of activities for the near future were discussed). The meeting noted that the main task of pedagogical science is methodological, theoretical and methodological support for a radical renewal of the education system based on taking into account the realities of life, the prospects for the socio-economic development of Ukraine as a sovereign state. On November 25-26, 1993, the General Meeting of the Academy decided to create the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Professional Education, headed by the Vice-President L.O. Kanishchenko. The meeting also approved the "Main Directions for the Development of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences", which became one of the important stages in the implementation of the State National Program "Education".

On November 23-24, 1994, the General Meeting of the Academy made changes to its Statute. In accordance with these changes, the positions of academicians-secretaries of departments were introduced (instead of the positions of vice-presidents - heads of departments), to which the following were elected: academician-secretary of the Department of Theory and History of Pedagogy - O.V. Sukhomlynska; Academician-Secretary of the Department of Didactics, Methodology and Information Technologies in Education - S.U. Goncharenko (The Department was headed: from December 1997 - Academician O.Ya. Savchenko, from April 2003 - Academician N.M. Bibik, and in November 2007, O.I. Liashenko was elected Academician-Secretary); Academician-Secretary of the Department of Psychology, Age Physiology and Defectology - O.V. Kyrychuk (in December 1997, Academician S.D. Maksymenko was elected Head of the Department); Academician-Secretary of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Professional Education - L.O. Kanishchenko. 

By the decision of the General Meeting of the Academy of January 28-29, 1997, the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Professional Education was reorganized into two departments: Pedagogy and Psychology of Higher School and Pedagogy and Psychology of Vocational and Technical Education. Academician L.O. Kanishchenko was elected as the Academician-Secretary of the first department (since May 1997, the department has been headed by Academician M.B. Yevtukh), and Academician N.G. Nychkalo was elected as the Academician-Secretary of the second. 

At the General Meeting of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine on December 19-20, 1995, Academician M.S. Vashulenko was elected as the Chief Scientific Secretary.

The General Meeting of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, held on December 17-18, 1997, became a milestone for the formation of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine. The first composition of the Presidium of the Academy reported on them. The report "Development of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences in Ukraine during the Period of Formation and Activity of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences (1992-1997)" was delivered by the President of the Academy M.D. Yarmachenko. At the same meeting, a full member of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine V.G. Kremen was elected as the President of the Academy, and V.M. Madzigon – the Vice-President. Elections of academicians-secretaries of the departments were also held: O.V. Sukhomlynska, O.Ya. Savchenko, S.D. Maksymenko, N.G. Nychkalo and M.B. Yevtukh.

On April 21, 2000, V.M. Madzigon was elected as the First Vice-President of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, O.Ya. Savchenko was elected as the Vice-President, and on April 11, 2003, O.I. Lyashenko was elected as the Chief Scientific Secretary.

The Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine has made a significant contribution to the further development of pedagogical and psychological sciences, updating the theory and practice of the educational process. Considering the leading role of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine in ensuring the development of the national education system, conducting fundamental research, and making a significant contribution to the training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel, by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated February 24, 2010 No. 259/2010, the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine was granted the status of a national one, with its subsequent naming - the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine (NAES of Ukraine).