Prospects of Ukrainian System of Education

The problems of ensuring possibilities of education and improving its quality are examined by the "Law on General Secondary Education" (adopted in June 1999). It underlines the importance of co-ordination of interests of the society and the state and interests of students and their parents. The "Law on General Secondary Education (1999) envisages increasing of the nomenclature of pre-school and compulsory educational institutions, types of subordination. Implementation of the Law provisions will promote improvement of quality of education, autonomy of educational institutions and possibilities for their development.

Within the structure and the content of general secondary education the new Law stipulates transition for the recognized European and world standards. The three level structure is to take into account the three successive stages of the development of a child personality.

The first stage – the elementary school – will include 4 years of studying. It will enable to relieve students and give teachers the opportunity to achieve success in improving basic knowledge and skills in Mathematics, Language, Valeology and environmental subject.

The second stage of the compulsory secondary education will comprise the modified 5 years basic school, where students will get knowledge and skills in science and humanitarian subjects, mother tongue and foreign languages. It will ease to make choice for each individual for further education. The first and the second stages will form the formal basic education for all with 9 years of duration.

The third stage will last three years in institutions of general education and in the system of professional training. At this stage thorough study of the limited group of subjects, which will be chosen by students for their further studying (in universities, institutes and academies), is envisaged. The youth will get specialities and opportunities to enter the labour market, studying in institutions of vocational training.

The "Law on General Secondary Education" introduces not only the European standard of duration of studying (12 years) but also the appropriate standards of school years duration (190 working days), intensity of weekly education, current and final examination of students progress and a lot of other forms of experience of the European and American democratic countries.

The speed of the progress of the system of education for all in Ukraine will depend upon deepening of economy reforming, increasing of GNP amount, improvement of financial maintenance of pre-school and school institutions. Work of hundreds of thousands of teachers of schools and tens of thousands of professors of high educational institutions in direction of new approaches to training of students, preparation them for life and activities in a democratic, legal and European state – independent Ukraine – will promote acceleration of this process.

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the main aim of "Law on General Secondary Education" (adopted in June 1999)?

2. What structure does the "Law on General Secondary Education" underline?

3. What will the first and the second stages comprise? What is the duration of each stage?

4. What is proposed in the third stage?

5. What can promote the progress of the system of education for all in Ukraine?