Every Ukrainian Government conducts business according to the strict procedure. If a trial happens and they will be questioned about their possible misdeeds, they will eagerly answer that they acted within the limits of their authority and executed the orders of the seniors.
How does this approach ruin the national education system?
1. Is education an easy target for reforms?
The Government had its Programme approved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (the Parliament). Any reforms are to be implemented within this Programme. Education was included as one of the primary directions of the reforms. Most probably, the Prime Minister and his advisers just believed it can be reformed rather easy. Unfortunately, they were mistaken.
2. Can reform be implemented by an incompetent minister?
The post of Ministers of the Government are 100% political. Major parties just divided the spheres of influence, and Arseniy Yatsenyuk's Narodnyi Front ("People's Front") took this rather unprivileged post. In 2017 education and science got 94 billion UAH from the state budget (~3.5 billion USD); 95 billion UAH is planned for 2018 - which is only ~3.2 billion USD. In 2018 education is also financed from the local budgets - bringing total sum to over 200 billion UAH (~7 billion USD). Although a substantial part of the money is teachers' salary, quite enough is left for embezzlement. It is no secret that political parties consider the Ministries under their control to be sinecures for financing their future election campaigns. So a party-nominated Minister is a kind of a controller - an "overseer" securing money streams flowing to the party's "pocket". Has incumbent Minister of Education and Science, Lilia Hryhorovych, proved to be a field expert? We strongly doubt that.
3. Are there any tangible achievements, any noticeable progress in education reform?
Law "On Higher Education" was adopted in 2014; it was presented as a great leap forward and an example of the Government's hard work. Law "On Education" was adopted in 2017; it was used to speak about education as the a major field that is subjected to constant improvement by the governmental efforts. Practical implementation of 2014 law is de facto blocked, supporting governmental bodies failed to start functioning, the whole system is in suspended mode. In 2017 school districts were formed, mostly copied from the American reality. Has anything changed for school or university students? Were school teachers or university staff presented with new opportunities? No. Just one figure to clarify everything: a 2017 monthly salary of a university lecturer was 165 USD before tax deductions, 135 USD net. 2018 brings 5 USD increase (actually it is 500 UAH increase, but it is adjusted as hryvnia, Ukrainian currency, is expected to loose some value going from 27 UAH too 29.3 UAH per 1 USD).4. Conclusions
All in all, the Government simulates reforms - not even trying to hear voices of the education field experts.
Meanwhile some NGOs pretend to be those experts - and they endorse the pseudo-reforms.
Instead of real reforms the Government resorts to cosmetic revamp - while increasing demands to the teaching staff and fixing education's status as tool of deferred unemployment.
Instead of real reforms the Government resorts to cosmetic revamp - while increasing demands to the teaching staff and fixing education's status as tool of deferred unemployment.
