Oleg Smirnov
Over the past decade, Oleg Smirnov has been a crucial contributor to the establishment of adult and continuing education in Ukraine. Smirnov has promoted adult education as a legitimate and necessary component of the country’s national education system, helping to build more professional, resilient, and innovative institutions even in the face of recent war. Throughout his career Smirnov has endorsed adult and continuing education in Ukraine and across Europe by demonstrating the field’s relevance in times of crisis, transformation, and reform.
Smirnov began his professional career in 1991 as assistant professor at the Crimean Agricultural Institute in Simferopol; he later moved to V. I. Vernadsky Taurida National University, where he taught communication, ethnic studies, and political education. In 1993 he joined the staff of the International Renaissance Foundation, a Ukrainian charitable organization. He became a founding member in 1997 of the nongovernmental organization Integration and Development Center for Information and Research, and has served there in various capacities ever since: as trainer, as executive director (2005–2015), and, currently, as board member. Because of its successful work the organization was awarded the Max van der Stoel Award from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands in 2009.
In 2015 Smirnov joined DVV International (the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association) as director of the Ukraine Country Office. In this role he has promoted adult education in Ukraine through educational measures offered for adult learners, in developing stronger organizational structures for providers and their networks, and through advisory services on policy and public advocacy work. Smirnov’s work in establishing and continuing support for the Ukrainian Adult Education Association has been a major achievement in the advocacy for adult education.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 challenged adult education providers to maintain operations and expand outreach during wartime. This included transitioning programs to online and hybrid formats, offering psychosocial education, and training educators in trauma-informed practices. Smirnov’s personal behavior contributed most strongly to the spirit of resilience of the adult education professionals and DVV International team in Ukraine at this time. His dedication to his job, high standard of professionalism, patience, high moral standards, and deep sense of solidarity with people in difficult life situations made him a standout leader in the Ukrainian adult education sector.
In a time of profound disruption and displacement, Smirnov raised the visibility and recognition of adult and continuing education in Ukraine and across Europe. He did this through interviews and articles on adult education, participation in national consultations and working groups, creation of best practices, and service as a representative of Ukrainian adult education. He used numerous occasions to advocate for adult and continuing education as a strategic response to conflict, displacement, social change, and other challenges. Smirnov’s work preserved and strengthened educational infrastructure at a time when access to formal education was severely compromised. It demonstrated the value of nonformal adult education in sustaining community resilience, fostering inclusion, and supporting democratic participation during crisis.
Smirnov’s handling of adult and continuing education in Ukraine since the Russian invasion has become a reference point in discussions on adult and continuing education in conflict and post-conflict settings. His approach highlights how adult education can serve as a stabilizing force and a driver of long-term recovery, making it relevant not only for Ukraine but for global education policy and practice.
Smirnov has been a board member of the European Association for the Education of Adults since 2021. In September 2025 he was elected one of the vice presidents.