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President of the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Tymofiy Mylovanov is convinced that if Kyiv-Mohyla Academy were a private university, it could do much more than it does now. Milovanov said this in an interview with LIGA.net.

"State universities don’t teach anything. It’s irresponsible to give them money just like that, especially during wartime. The state pays salaries to people who ruin students’ lives while the money is needed for the army. These universities take bribes to help people avoid conscription, and then complain that everything is bad and they lack resources," said the KSE President.

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According to Milovanov, his earlier comment about wanting to buy Kyiv-Mohyla Academy "was, of course, a provocation" – meant to highlight that "everyone needs to change."

"Mohyla isn’t bad, but it’s still constrained by government regulations and doesn’t operate at its full potential. If we, a no-name university, can fundraise large sums for a campus, imagine what they could do? They could raise hundreds of millions of dollars. But right now, they’re stuck in problems. If Kyiv-Mohyla Academy were private, it could achieve much more," he said.

Milovanov estimates the university's value at $40–50 million, adding: "But it’s loss-making, don’t forget that." According to him, no formal talks about the purchase have taken place with the government.

"At the ministry, they looked at me like I was crazy and said, ‘Milovanov, what are you talking about?’ And that was the end of it. But I showed them the real state of things," he explained.

"I’m looking at this realistically, not joking around like they think at the ministry. If you offer a salary of 12,000 UAH, you’ll never hire a top-tier professor who needs $50,000–100,000 per year," Milovanov added.