Digitalization of education in action: how Kyiv Aviation University implemented EDO in one year

Education and science are always about development and innovation. The nationwide trend of the last five years has been the active digitization of services, processes, and document flow. In the field of education, the EDEBO (Unified State Electronic Database on Education) system has already been implemented at the state level. It is the main source of data and a tool for managing processes such as admission, transfer, expulsion, academic leave, publications, teacher training, etc.

However, all these processes require documentary confirmation: the issuance of orders, memos, meeting minutes, and other supporting documentation. Accordingly, the digitization of document flow is a critically important component of the effective operation of an educational institution.

In the university-student relationship, the university performs a service function: it provides educational services to the student, regardless of whether the customer is the state or the parents. Both the state and the universities themselves must move towards maximizing the simplification of access to services for the end user.

Students should not have to waste time writing applications by hand or visiting the dean’s office — everything should be available online in a few clicks. Similarly, teachers should not have to waste hours signing dozens of paper documents or filling out numerous forms, often with duplicate data.

The main goal of switching to electronic document management for Kyiv Aviation is to significantly simplify and speed up the process of approving and signing documents for both employees and contractors.

Since the university buildings are located at a considerable distance from each other, the delivery of documents from the initiator to the approver or signatory could previously take 15-20 minutes.

Before the introduction of the Vchasno service, 99% of the university’s documents were signed in paper form, and previous attempts to switch to EDM were mostly unsuccessful. The implementation of electronic document management began in July–August 2024 during the admission campaign.

The first to experience the benefits of the “paperless solution” were first-year students and their parents, as we used the Vchasno service to sign study agreements. During this campaign, we managed to sign about 1,000 documents.

Starting in September, we gradually began to implement electronic internal documents, as well as other types of external documents.

At the Kyiv Aviation Institute State University, up to 90% of the main documents have been converted to electronic format. In particular, these are internal documents:

• orders;
• memos;
• decrees;
• regulatory documents (regulations, job descriptions);
• incoming correspondence;
• citizen appeals.

As well as external documents:

• contracts (with students, tenants, contractors);
• acts of services rendered;
• statements from students;
• outgoing letters (most of which are registered in Vchasno as internal and then sent by email);
• additional agreements to contracts — in connection with the reorganization, about 10000 such agreements have already been signed with various counterparties;
• qualification (diploma) works — signed by students, scientific supervisors, and teachers in Vchasno. Approximately 1500 theses have already been signed, each with 4–5 signatories.

Some of the above documents, despite being signed electronically, are additionally printed for storage in paper form due to long-term archival storage requirements.

On average, we process 1000 – 1500 documents per month (internal and external combined). This does not include the signing of additional agreements during reorganization.

Read also: Electronic archives in Ukraine: how the state plans to store electronic documents

Google Spreadsheet is connected to AppScript, which is integrated with the Vchasno service. Thanks to this integration, incoming correspondence is automatically uploaded to the system.

Office staff add documents received by mail or email through a separate Google spreadsheet. Each document automatically receives an incoming number and is transferred to Vchasno. There, it is immediately seen by the person in charge — the coordinator who distributes incoming documents at the university.

Integration with the Master ERP system is also currently underway.

Every month, between 1,000 and 1,500 documents pass through the system, not including additional agreements. Due to the reorganization of the university, more than 20,000 such agreements had to be signed — 10,000 have been signed so far, with the same number still awaiting signature.

The figures speak for themselves (savings calculated using the Vchasno methodology):

• more than 4 million hryvnia saved;
• 50 trees and over 20 000 liters of water saved.

Students and their parents can sign documents online, without having to visit the university in person. This significantly reduces the workload on university departments and improves interaction with service recipients.

We see a significant reduction in paper consumption thanks to document versioning. If errors are found at the approval stage, in paper format this would mean a complete reprint, whereas in the Vchasno office it is simply a matter of replacing the file. EDO really does reduce costs.

We are now actively working to make checking documents for signature or approval a habit. Our goal is to complete the document route as quickly as possible, without the need for additional reminders.

Find out how much your business will save with Vchasno. Paper Cost Calculator is a tool that will help you find out how much you actually spend on documents.

Read also: Digital signature registration: everything you need to know to obtain a QES

The first to experience digitization were counterparties who receive services from KAI — for example, those who rent premises or parking spaces. These are usually contracts that are concluded in two copies with a certain frequency: monthly or even several times a month (for example, for one-time cases).

The first stage was the introduction of electronic signing of contracts in the property management department. Subsequently, invoices and acts accompanying these contracts were also added. The transition went quite smoothly and lasted about a month.

When it comes to contracts where KAI is the recipient of services or goods, the situation is a bit more complicated. Not all suppliers or service providers are ready to work with electronic signatures — especially if we don’t have a choice because of tenders or the counterparty’s monopoly position.

Despite this, the process is actively ongoing. For example, all procurement documents of the Digital Transformation Department were signed exclusively in electronic form — including contracts for the purchase of access to the state education database (EDEBO).

There are no exact quantitative estimates, but qualitative changes are evident. The use of digital services made it possible to:

• Optimize the transfer of information and documents between departments — instead of people performing courier functions, information is transferred instantly.
• Significantly reduce the time spent searching for the necessary documents — now it takes a few seconds in a digital archive, rather than long searches through folders.
• Work with documents anywhere — even from a mobile phone.
• Review and simplify some of the outdated business processes that have become redundant or too burdensome in the online reality.

In times of instability, when staff work remotely or in different locations, the availability of flexible electronic solutions has become not just an advantage, but a critical condition for stability.

• Document flow becomes more transparent.
• The problem of physical delivery of documents between departments disappears.
• The search for documents is significantly accelerated.
• It becomes possible to sign documents with contractors quickly and without additional costs.
• Costs are optimized — both material and time.

Our vision is the full integration of key systems: ERP, CRM, and educational process management systems. It is necessary to ensure that information or documents created in one system are synchronized or automatically transferred to other systems without duplicating actions.

In addition, it is important to have high-quality documentation of internal instructions for using and configuring digital services. This will maintain stability even when the digital transformation team moves on to other projects and support for already implemented solutions is transferred to internal service teams.