With one stroke of the pen, the deputies provoked the dissatisfaction of almost all neighboring countries, the law on education. Kyiv's European partners are concerned that education in public schools will be gradually transferred to the Ukrainian language, and languages ​​of national minorities will be excluded from the educational process. understood the nuances and possible consequences of the reform.

Teach at school

In Ukraine, about 400,000 children in 735 educational institutions. In total, there are more than 15 thousand schools in the country, of which 581 are taught in Russian, 75 in Romanian, 71 in Hungarian, 3 in Moldovan and 5 in Polish. almost 10 percent of students study in Russian. Interestingly, about 40 percent of students in private schools choose Russian as the language of education.

Such statistics, however, did not confuse Ukrainian legislators. On the first day of the autumn session, September 5, the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada in the second reading the law "On Education". The document has already been supported by the president of the country, stating that the new school opens the door for "a new generation of Ukrainians - competent, patriotic, open to the world." “Education is the key to the future of Ukraine. The adoption of a new edition of the law “On Education” gives us this key,” the head of state specified.

The main thing in the reform is that teaching in any language other than Ukrainian is actually prohibited in schools. Since 2018, teaching in the languages ​​of national minorities has been canceled, starting from the fifth grade. By 2020, teaching in the languages ​​of national minorities will be completely eliminated. Since 2018, the publication of textbooks in Russian has been discontinued. Small concessions are made only for the “indigenous peoples of Ukraine”. This concept is not clearly spelled out anywhere, but the authors of the law attributed the Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks and Karaites to those. They will be allowed to form separate classes in schools. It is also permitted to teach one or more subjects at English language and other languages ​​of the countries, but Russian-speaking education will disappear completely.

Experts say that such legislative innovations contradict Article 10 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which states that the state language is Ukrainian, but the state promotes the development of both the Russian language and the languages ​​of other national minorities. The right to freely use native languages ​​in all spheres of public life, including education, was also guaranteed in the Declaration of the Rights of the Nationalities of Ukraine.

The new law also contradicts the law "On the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages" of 2003. “The language that is native to children will practically be banned for secondary school graduates, because it simply will not be studied in high school,” predicts an opponent of the reform, a Verkhovna Rada deputy from the Opposition Bloc.

Proponents of change call change natural. “Ukraine is the only country that speaks the Ukrainian language, and the law “On Education” expands the use of the state language in the educational sphere, this is normal,” says Minister of Education Liliya Grinevich. The ministry explains the innovations as a concern for the future of children studying in the language of national minorities. It is noted that in 2016, 60 percent of students in Hungarian and Romanian schools did not overcome the threshold of testing in the Ukrainian language, which means that their ability to get in Ukraine higher education were severely limited.

Knife in the back

The project of Ukrainization of education aroused indignation among the majority of neighboring countries of Ukraine. It is noteworthy that Petro Poroshenko was asked to veto the law not only by Ukrainian opposition politicians, but also by an ally of the head of state, the Transcarpathian region (at least 150,000 ethnic Hungarians live in the region, as well as more than 20,000 ethnic Slovaks and Romanians).

Photo: Pavel Palamarchuk / RIA Novosti

The toughest and even aggressive position was taken by Hungary. First, a shameful and shameful document by the country's foreign minister. “The amendment seriously violates the rights of the Hungarian minority. It is shameful that a country seeking closer ties with the EU passed a law that goes directly against European values,” he said. Later, Budapest filed a complaint with and. Szijjártó explained that Hungary is asking for measures to prevent the law from coming into force. The website of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry also published a message stating that Budapest would no longer support Ukraine's initiatives in international organizations. “Ukraine stabbed Hungary in the back when it made changes to the law on education,” it says.

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the hope that the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine would be preserved, and stressed the concern of Bucharest in connection with this issue. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland promised to closely monitor the implementation of the law "On Education" in Ukraine and take all necessary measures to provide Poles with access to education in Polish. Moldovan President Kyiv authorities to cancel the new law. He expressed the opinion that the community of Romanians and Moldovans in Ukraine is at risk of denationalization. Russian diplomats were the last to react. 12-year education while reducing compulsory subjects from 22 to 9. In particular, instead of physics, chemistry, biology, geography and astronomy, integration courses "Nature and Man", "Man and World" will be created. Language and literature will merge into the subject "Literature", and algebra and geometry will return to general course mathematics. This will likely lead to mass layoffs of teachers. A separate amendment stipulates the right to administrative prosecution of teachers who speak derogatoryly about Ukrainian symbols or the state itself.

The new law, obviously, should help strengthen the patriotic feelings of Ukrainian youth. It is too early to judge how innovations will affect the quality of education, but they are unlikely to benefit those students for whom Ukrainian is not their native language. First of all, we are talking about Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine. They are unlikely to be able to interfere with the introduction of the law. Russia for last years lost almost all levers of influence on neighboring country and any attempts at self-organization of citizens within Ukraine are interpreted as separatism and are fraught with serious consequences. Representatives of the Hungarian, Romanian and Polish communities are much more likely to defend their interests. Ukraine still values ​​European integration, so any barriers along this path will be perceived extremely painfully in Kyiv. Probably, if Budapest, Warsaw and Bucharest seriously oppose the widespread Ukrainization of education, then the Kyiv authorities will have to make concessions.

A new law “On Education” came into force in Ukraine, which was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on September 5 and signed by President Petro Poroshenko on September 25. This law introduced 12 years of secondary education.

Education of students under the programs of twelve-year complete general secondary education begins: for primary education - from September 1, 2018; for basic secondary education - from September 1, 2022; for specialized secondary education - from September 1, 2027.

The law stipulates that the language educational process in educational institutions is the state language.

It is assumed that in educational institutions, in accordance with the educational program, one or more disciplines can be taught in two or more languages ​​- the state language, in English, in other official languages ​​of the European Union.

Persons belonging to the national minorities of Ukraine are guaranteed the right to study in communal institutions to receive education, along with the state language, in the language of the respective national minority. This right is exercised through classes (groups) with instruction in the language of the respective national minority along with the state language.

Persons belonging to the indigenous peoples of Ukraine are guaranteed the right to study in communal institutions of preschool and general secondary education, along with the state one, in the language of the respective indigenous people. This right is realized through the creation of classes (groups) with instruction in the language of this people along with the state language.

In addition, the law establishes that persons who belong to the indigenous peoples, national minorities of Ukraine and began receiving general secondary education before September 1, 2018, continue to receive such education until September 1, 2020 in accordance with the rules in force before the entry into force of this law with a gradual increase in the number of subjects taught in the Ukrainian language.

According to the law, the official salary of a teacher of the lowest qualification category is set at three times the minimum wage.

According to the law, state and communal educational institutions are separated from the church (religious organizations) and have a secular character. Private educational institutions, including those founded by religious organizations, have the right to determine the religious orientation of their own educational activities. It is also forbidden to create cells of political parties and the functioning of any political associations in educational institutions.

The law provides for certification of teaching staff - the next certification takes place at least once every five years. The decision of the attestation commission may be the basis for the dismissal of a teacher from work.

Certification of teaching staff is provided through independent testing, self-assessment and study of practical work experience. At the same time, such certification takes place on a voluntary basis solely at the initiative of the teacher. Successful completion of certification is counted as the passing of certification by a pedagogical worker. Teaching staff will receive an additional payment for the successful completion of certification.

The law stipulates that the state provides allocations for education in the amount of at least 7 percent of the gross domestic product from the state, local budgets and other sources of funding not prohibited by law. State and communal educational institutions have the right to provide paid educational and other services, the list of which is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.

The law stipulates that the occupancy of classes in institutions of general secondary education should not exceed 30 students, and in rural schools the number of students in classes should be at least five people, and with a smaller number of students in a class, classes are held according to individual or other forms of education. It is also provided that the duration of lessons in educational institutions is: in the first grades - 35 minutes, in the second-fourth grades - 40 minutes, in the fifth-eleventh grades - 45 minutes.

According to the law, the head of a state and municipal institution of general secondary education is appointed to a position based on the results of a competitive selection for a period of six years and no more than two terms in a row.

The law enters into force on the day following its publication, except for a number of provisions that enter into other terms, in particular, the remuneration of teachers, the introduction of a 12-year education.

The law enters into force on the day following its publication, except for a number of provisions that enter into other terms, in particular, the remuneration of teachers, the introduction of 12-year education.

This Law (Law on Education of Ukraine) determines the legal, organizational and financial foundations for the functioning and development of the system of general secondary education, which contributes to the free development of the human personality, forms the values ​​of a legal democratic society in Ukraine.

General provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On general secondary education"

Article 1. Legislation of Ukraine on general secondary education

The legislation of Ukraine on general secondary education is based on the Constitution of Ukraine and consists of the Law of Ukraine "On Education", this Law, other regulatory legal acts and international treaties of Ukraine, the consent to be bound by which is provided by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Article 2. The main tasks of the legislation of Ukraine on general secondary education

The main objectives of the legislation of Ukraine on general secondary education are:
- Ensuring the right of citizens to the availability and free of charge of obtaining a complete general secondary education.
- Provision necessary conditions functioning and development of general secondary education.
- Ensuring the legal framework regarding the mandatory complete general secondary education.
- Determination of the structure and content of general secondary education.
- determination of the governing bodies of the system of general secondary education and their powers.
- Determining the rights and obligations of participants in the educational process, establishing responsibility for violating the legislation on secondary education.

Article 3. General secondary education

General secondary education is a purposeful process of mastering systematized knowledge about nature, man, society, culture and production by means of cognitive and practical activities, the result of which is the intellectual, social and physical development of the individual, which is the basis for further education and work. General secondary education is a compulsory main component continuing education. General secondary education is aimed at the comprehensive development of the individual through education and upbringing, based on universal values ​​and the principles of science, multiculturalism, the secular nature of education, consistency, integration, unity of education and upbringing, on the principles of humanism, democracy, civic consciousness, mutual respect between nations and peoples in the interests of the individual, family, society, state.

Article 4. The system of general secondary education

The secondary education system consists of: General educational institutions of all types and forms of ownership, including those for citizens in need of social assistance and social rehabilitation, training and production facilities, out-of-school institutions, scientific and methodological institutions and management bodies of the general secondary education system, as well as vocational and higher educational institutions of I-II levels of accreditation, which provide complete secondary education.

Article 5. The task of general secondary education

The tasks of general secondary education are:
- Education of a citizen of Ukraine.
- Formation of the personality of the student (pupil), development of his abilities and talents, scientific worldview.
- Fulfillment of the requirements of the State Standard of General Secondary Education, preparation of students (pupils) for further education and work.
- Education in students (pupils) of respect for the Constitution of Ukraine, state symbols of Ukraine, human and civil rights and freedoms, self-esteem, responsibility before the law for their actions, a conscious attitude to the duties of a person and citizen.
- Realization of the right of students (pupils) to the free formation of political and ideological convictions.
- Education of respect for the family, respect for folk traditions and customs, state and native language, national values ​​of the Ukrainian people and other peoples and nations.
- Education of a conscious attitude to one's own health and the health of other citizens as the highest social value, the formation of hygiene skills and the principles of a healthy lifestyle, the preservation and strengthening of the physical and mental health of students (pupils).

Article 6. Obtaining a complete general secondary education

1. Citizens of Ukraine, regardless of race, skin color, political, religious and other beliefs, gender, ethnic and social origin, property status, place of residence, linguistic or other characteristics, are provided with the availability and free of charge of obtaining a complete general secondary education in state and communal educational institutions .

2. Citizens of Ukraine have the right to receive a complete general secondary education in private educational institutions.

3. Obtaining a complete general secondary education in educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership, must comply with the requirements of the State Standard of General Secondary Education.

4. Foreigners and stateless persons who are legally in Ukraine receive a complete secondary education in the manner prescribed for citizens of Ukraine.

5. Responsibility for obtaining a complete general secondary education by children rests with their parents, and for children deprived of parental care - with persons replacing them, or educational institutions where they are brought up.

Article 7. Language (languages) of teaching and education in general educational institutions

The language(s) of instruction and upbringing in general educational institutions is determined in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine "On Languages ​​in the Ukrainian SSR".

General education and other educational institutions in the system of general secondary education

Article 8. General educational institution

1. General educational institution - an educational institution that ensures the implementation of the right of citizens to general secondary education. A general educational institution based on a private form of ownership carries out its activities in the presence of a license issued in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Ukraine.

2. A general educational institution carrying out innovative activities may have the status of an experimental one. The status of an experimental school does not change the subordination, type and form of ownership of a general educational institution. Regulations on an experimental general educational institution are approved by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

Article 9. Types of general education and other educational institutions of the system of general secondary education

1. According to the educational level, which is provided by a general educational institution (primary general education, basic general secondary education, complete general secondary education), there are different types general educational institutions of I, II, III degrees. Schools at each of the three levels may operate together or independently.

General education institutions include:
- Secondary general education school - a general educational institution of I-III stages (I stage - elementary school, II stage - basic school, III stage - high school, as a rule, with a profile direction of education).
- Specialized school (boarding school) - a general educational institution of I-III levels with in-depth study of individual subjects and courses.
- Gymnasium - a general educational institution of II-III levels with in-depth study of individual subjects in the profile.
- Lyceum - a general educational institution of the III degree with profile education and pre-professional training.
- Collegium - a general educational institution of the III degree of philological-philosophical and (or) cultural-aesthetic profiles.
- General education boarding school - a general education educational institution with partial or full maintenance at the expense of the state of children in need of social assistance.
- Special general education school (boarding school) - a general education institution for children in need of correction of physical and (or) mental development.
- General education sanatorium school (boarding school) - a general educational institution of I-III levels with an appropriate profile for children in need of long-term treatment.
- School of Social Rehabilitation - a general educational institution for children in need of special conditions for education (created separately for boys and girls).
- Evening (shift) school - a general educational institution of II-III degrees for citizens who do not have the opportunity to study in schools with daily form learning.

2. Other educational institutions of the system of general secondary education:
- Out-of-school educational institution - an educational institution for raising children and meeting their needs for additional education on interests (scientific, technical, artistic and aesthetic, sports, etc.).
- Interschool training and production plant - an educational institution to meet the needs of students of general educational institutions in career guidance, pre-professional, vocational training.
- Vocational educational institution - an educational institution to meet the needs of citizens in vocational and complete general secondary education. - A higher educational institution of I-II levels of accreditation - an educational institution to meet the needs of citizens in terms of educational and qualification levels of junior specialist and bachelor with the simultaneous completion of obtaining a complete general secondary education.

3. General educational institutions may create in their composition classes (groups) with evening (correspondence) form of education, classes (groups) with in-depth study of individual subjects. General educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership, may include boarding schools with partial or full maintenance of students (pupils) at the expense of the owner. General educational institutions can create educational complexes as part of educational institutions of various types and levels of accreditation to meet the pre-professional and professional needs of citizens, as well as educational associations with preschool and out-of-school educational institutions to meet educational and cultural and educational needs.

4. The list of special general education schools (boarding schools) is determined by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine in agreement with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

5. Regulations on general educational institutions are approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. A general educational institution, on the basis of the Regulations on general educational institutions, develops a charter, which is approved by the owner (for state and municipal general educational institutions - by the relevant education authority) and registered by the local executive authority or local government.

Article 10. Status of a general educational institution

1. A general educational institution is a legal entity. According to their organizational and legal forms, general education educational institutions can be state, communal and private forms of ownership.
2. The status of the state has a general educational institution based on state form property.
3. The status of a communal educational institution has a general educational institution based on a communal form of ownership.
4. A general educational institution based on a private form of ownership has the status of a private institution.

Article 11. Creation, reorganization and liquidation of a general educational institution

1. State and communal general educational institutions are created respectively by central, local executive authorities or local governments, taking into account socio-economic, national, cultural, educational and linguistic needs, if required amount students (pupils) in accordance with the established standards for the occupancy of classes, the necessary logistical and scientific and methodological base, teaching staff in the manner prescribed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

2. The decision to establish communal general educational institutions for orphans and children deprived of parental care, special general education schools (boarding schools) for children in need of correction of physical and (or) mental development, shall be taken by the Council of Ministers Autonomous Republic Crimea, regional, Kyiv and Sevastopol city state administrations in agreement with the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

3. The decision to establish gymnasiums, lyceums, collegiums, specialized schools (boarding schools) based on a communal form of ownership is made on the proposal of the relevant education management bodies by the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, regional, Kyiv and Sevastopol city state administrations.

4. The decision to establish a general educational institution based on a private form of ownership is taken by the founder (owner) in the manner prescribed by the legislation of Ukraine.

5. The decision to establish social rehabilitation schools, their subordination and sources of funding is made by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the proposal of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

6. Reorganization and liquidation of general educational institutions are carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Ukraine. Reorganization and liquidation of general education educational institutions in rural areas, based on a communal form of ownership, are allowed only with the consent of the territorial communities.

Organization of the educational process in general educational institutions

Article 12. Study period

1. The term of study for obtaining a complete general secondary education in general educational institutions of I-III levels is 12 years:
- In general educational institutions of the 1st degree - 4 years.
- In general educational institutions of the II degree - 5 years.
- In general educational institutions of the III degree - 3 years.

2. The term of study in general educational institutions for children in need of correction of physical and (or) mental development is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

3. In vocational and higher educational institutions of I-II levels of accreditation, the period for obtaining a complete general secondary education is established by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

Article 13. Forms of education

The educational process in general educational institutions is carried out according to group and individual forms of education, the provisions on which are approved by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine. Those who wish are given the right and conditions are created for an accelerated graduation from school, passing exams as an external student.

Article 14

1. The occupancy of classes in general educational institutions should not exceed 30 students.
2. In general educational institutions located in villages, settlements, the number of students in classes is determined by the demographic situation, but must be at least five people. With a smaller number of students in the class, classes are held according to an individual form of education.
3. The procedure for dividing classes into groups when studying individual subjects is established by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine in agreement with the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine.
4. For special general education schools (boarding schools), the number of students in a class is determined by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine in agreement with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine.
5. The number of students in extended day groups and pupils in groups of general educational institutions of all types is determined by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine in agreement with the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine.

Article 15

1. The basic curriculum of general educational institutions (hereinafter - the Basic curriculum) determines the structure and content of general secondary education through the invariant and variable components, which establish the hourly and semantic relationship between educational areas (cycles of subjects), the maximum allowable teaching load of students and general annual number of teaching hours. The invariant component of the content of general secondary education is formed at the state level, is the same for all institutions of general secondary education, and is determined through the educational areas of the basic curriculum. The variable component of the content of general secondary education is formed by a general education institution, taking into account the characteristics of the region and the individual educational needs of students (pupils). The basic curriculum for general educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership, is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

2. On the basis of the basic curriculum, the Ministry of Education of Ukraine approves standard curricula for general educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership. In model curricula, educational areas are implemented in academic subjects and courses of the invariant and variable components of the content of general secondary education.

Standard curricula establish the total maximum allowable study load for students. It is the following number of teaching hours per year:
- 1-2 classes - 700 hours.
- 3-4 classes - 790 hours.
- Grade 5 - 860 hours.
- 6-7 grades - 890 hours.
- Grades 8-9 - 950 hours.
- 10-12 grades - 1030 hours.

3. On the basis of standard curricula, a general educational institution develops a working curriculum with specification of the variable part and determination of the profile of education. The working curricula of state and communal general educational institutions are approved by the relevant education authority. The working curricula of private general education schools are agreed with the relevant education authorities. The working curricula of vocational and higher educational institutions of I-II levels of accreditation, in terms of obtaining a complete general secondary education, are developed on the basis of standard curricula for general educational institutions and agree with the Ministry of Education of Ukraine. Experimental working curricula are drawn up taking into account the standard curricula by general educational institutions that have the status of experimental ones. The introduction of experimental working curricula, new educational programs, pedagogical innovations and technologies is possible only by decision of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

Article 16 Academic year and working hours of a general educational institution

1. The academic year in general educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership, begins on Knowledge Day - September 1 and ends no later than July 1 of the next year.

2. The duration of the academic year in general education institutions of the 1st degree cannot be less than 175 working days, and in general education institutions of the II-III degrees - 190 working days, excluding the time for passing transfer and final exams, the duration of which cannot exceed three weeks .

3. The structure of the academic year (for a quarter, half a year, semesters) and the duration of the academic week are established by the general educational institution within the time period provided for by the working curriculum, in agreement with the relevant education authority.

4. The mode of operation of a general education educational institution is determined by it on the basis of regulatory legal acts and in agreement with the relevant body of the state sanitary and epidemiological service.

5. The duration of lessons in general educational institutions is:

• in the first classes - 35 minutes,
• in the second - fourth grades - 40 minutes,
• in the fifth - the twelfth grade - 45 minutes.

Changing the duration of lessons is allowed in agreement with the relevant educational authorities and the state sanitary and epidemiological service. The difference in the time of teaching hours of the first - fourth grades must be taken into account and compensated for by conducting additional, individual lessons and consultations with students.

6. Duration of holidays in general educational institutions during the academic year cannot be less than 30 calendar days.

Article 17

1. Education of students (pupils) in general educational institutions is carried out in the process of classroom, extracurricular and extracurricular work with them. The goals of the educational process in general educational institutions are determined on the basis of the principles laid down in the Constitution of Ukraine, laws and other legal acts Ukraine.

2. In general educational institutions, the creation and operation of organizational structures of political parties, as well as religious organizations and paramilitary formations, is prohibited.

3. Forced involvement of students (pupils) of general education schools to enter any associations of citizens, religious organizations and paramilitary formations is prohibited.

Article 18 Enrollment of students

1. Local executive authorities or local self-government bodies assign the respective service territories to general educational institutions and, by the beginning of the academic year, take into account the students who must attend them.

2. Enrollment of students in general educational institutions is carried out by order of the director, which is issued on the basis of an application, if available medical certificate of the established form and the corresponding document on education (except for first grade students).

3. Enrollment of students in gymnasiums, lyceums, colleges, specialized schools (boarding schools) is carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

4. Enrollment of students in a general education sanatorium school (boarding school) is carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

5. The direction of students (pupils) in schools of social rehabilitation and their early release from these educational institutions are carried out by a court decision.

6. Enrollment and selection of children for education in special general education schools (boarding schools), their transfer from one type of such educational institutions to another is carried out upon the conclusion of the relevant psychological, medical and pedagogical consultations in the manner established by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

Participants of the educational process in general educational institutions

Article 19. Participants in the educational process

The participants of the educational process in general educational institutions are:
- Students (pupils).
- Leaders.
- Pedagogical workers, psychologists, librarians.
- Other specialists.
- Parents or persons replacing them.

Article 20

1. Pupil (pupil) - a person who studies and is brought up in one of the educational institutions. Enrollment of students in general educational institutions is carried out, as a rule, from the age of 6.

2. The status of students (pupils) as participants in the educational process in general educational institutions, their rights and obligations are determined by this Law and other regulatory legal acts.

Article 21. Social protection of students (pupils)

1. Pupils (pupils) of general educational institutions may receive additional social and material assistance at the expense of ministries and departments and local budgets, funds of legal and individuals Ukraine and citizens residing outside its borders, as well as the funds of the fund for compulsory education and at the expense of other income. Pupils (pupils) of general educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership, are entitled to preferential travel by urban and suburban passenger transport in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Students (pupils) of general education schools in rural areas are provided with transport to the place of study and home free of charge.

2. Children with hearing, vision, and musculoskeletal disorders are provided with means of individual correction in the manner prescribed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

3. Pupils of boarding schools of all types from among orphans and children deprived of parental care are fully supported by the state. Orphans and children deprived of parental care who study in other general educational institutions are provided with food, clothing and other services in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The retention of pupils in need of correction of physical and (or) mental development in special general education schools (boarding schools) is carried out at the expense of the state.

4. Orphans, children deprived of parental care, children who need correction of physical and (or) mental development, are employed or continue their education in accordance with the education received in the manner prescribed by the legislation of Ukraine.

Article 22. Protection and promotion of the health of students (pupils)

1. A general educational institution provides safe and harmless learning conditions, working hours, conditions for physical development and health promotion, forms hygienic skills and the foundations of a healthy lifestyle of students (pupils).

2. Students (pupils) of general educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership, are provided with medical care, which is provided by medical workers who are part of the staff of these institutions or relevant healthcare institutions, in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Health protection institutions, together with educational authorities and health authorities, annually provide free medical examination of students (pupils), monitor and correct their health status, are responsible for compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, and conduct therapeutic and preventive measures in general educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership.

3. Responsibility for catering for students (pupils) in general educational institutions, regardless of subordination, types and forms of ownership, rests with the founders (owners), heads of these educational institutions. The norms and procedure for catering for students (pupils) in general educational institutions are established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

4. Control over the health protection and quality of nutrition of students (pupils) is assigned to the health authorities.

Article 23. Encouragement of students (pupils)

For students (pupils) various types of moral incentives and material incentives are established, provided for by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, other executive authorities and local governments, the charter of a general education institution.

Article 24

1. A pedagogical worker must be a person with high moral character, has an appropriate Teacher Education, an appropriate level of professional training, carries out pedagogical activities that ensure the effectiveness and quality of their work, whose physical and mental state of health allows them to perform professional duties in educational institutions of the general secondary education system. The list of positions of pedagogical workers in the system of general secondary education is established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

2. The position of the head of a general education educational institution, regardless of subordination, type and form of ownership, may be occupied by a person who is a citizen of Ukraine, has a higher pedagogical education at the level of a specialist or a master, has at least three years of teaching experience, has successfully passed the certification of the leading personnel of education in the manner, established by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.

Article 25

1. The pedagogical load of a teacher of a general educational institution, regardless of subordination, type and form of ownership, is the time allocated for the implementation of the educational process.

The pedagogical load of a teacher includes 18 teaching hours during the school week, which make up the tariff rate, as well as other types of pedagogical activities in the following ratio to the tariff rate:
- Class leadership - 20-25 percent.
- Checking notebooks - 10-20 percent.
- management:
- Workshops - 15-20 percent.
- classrooms - 10-15 percent.
- Educational and experimental sites - 10-15 percent.

The size and procedure for establishing additional payments for other types of pedagogical activity are determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The pedagogical load of an educator of a general education educational institution is 30 hours, an educator of a general education special school (boarding school) - 25 hours a week, which is the tariff rate. The tariff rates of other pedagogical workers of general educational institutions are established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

The distribution of the teaching load in a general educational institution is carried out by its head and approved by the relevant education management body.

The education reform, for which the deputies voted, has not yet entered into force, and all because there is no financial support for it, and the schools are not ready for all the innovations. So, for example, the introduction of 12-year education, from 9 compulsory subjects instead of 25, as it is now, it means that educational institutions should employ specialists who can equally well know physics, chemistry and biology, be ready for an integrated course in history, geography and social science.

Back in the summer, a financial scandal erupted around the education reform. The Prime Minister of Ukraine called it too costly for the state, estimating that the reform would cost taxpayers UAH 87 billion.

Small concessions by law are provided only for representatives of “indigenous peoples” (they will be allowed to have separate classes), as well as for English and EU languages, in which it will be possible to teach “one or more subjects” in schools (apparently a small concession for Hungarians and Romanians ). But Russian-language education will disappear completely.

The opposition harshly criticizes linguistic innovations. “When in the middle classes in the native language you can only teach two lessons a day, and in the senior classes - none, then this is not the European way. The language that is native to children will practically be banned for secondary school graduates, because it simply will not be studied in high school, ”said the people’s deputy from the Opposition Bloc.

Experts note that depriving Russian-speaking citizens of the right to education in their native language will have serious political consequences, deepening the split in society.

“The percentage of those dissatisfied with the actions of the authorities will grow, and the request for a complete reset of the authorities and a change in the course of the country will reach a critical point,” the political scientist believes.

- Already from September 1, parents will see that Russian schools are being closed everywhere and senior classes are being translated into Ukrainian. And this in the southeastern regions can cause an explosive effect. Moreover, we must not forget that just in September 2018, the presidential election campaign will de facto begin.”

According to the deputy of the Kharkiv City Council of six convocations, who now lives in Crimea, the founder of the First Capital video channel, Konstantin Kevorkyan, “the ban on education in the native (primarily Russian) language is absolutely logical and expectedly completes the assimilation of non-Ukrainian-speaking ethnic groups on the territory of Ukraine. Started by the supposedly innocent Ukrainization of names (Elena into Olena, Konstantin into Kostyantyn, and so on), the process of systematic assimilation was obvious to all sane people, except for the fanatical fans of both Maidans, who said: where did you see Bandera? where did you see the Russian language being infringed upon?”

Kevorkian also added that the ban on education in Russian is "another step down the path of defeat in political and property rights, repression against timid protesters, selling the lands of your ancestors and descendants to multinational corporations."

Out of Europe

Irritation on the part of a number of nationalist organizations causes the decision to retain the right to receive education in the Crimean Tatar language. Dissatisfaction is caused by the fact that representatives of such organizations understand that Crimea will not return to Ukraine in the near future, and the former leader of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis (the organization is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) Mustafa “sleeps and sees the emergence of Tatar autonomy” in one from regions of Ukraine. Dzhemilev himself spoke about the desire to create such an autonomy in the Kherson region.

The consequences of such a decision were not long in coming, since the parliamentarians, in addition to the manifestation of Russophobia, infringed on the rights of Hungarians and Romanians living in the western regions of Ukraine.

In particular, in Transcarpathia, there is constant talk about autonomy for several Hungarian-speaking regions - Vinogradovsky and Beregovsky. Earlier, activists even erected steles here with a text in Hungarian, saying that these are the lands of the Hungarian people, thus securing their rights to their native language and national self-determination.

A day after the adoption of the scandalous law, the Hungarian government protested. “Ukraine stabbed Hungary in the back when it made changes to the education law, which severely violates the rights of the Hungarian minority.<...>

It is shameful that a country that seeks to develop ever closer relations with has taken a decision that is in total opposition to European values.

It is unacceptable that Ukraine has deprived Hungarians of their right to receive education in their native language in schools and universities and left them such an opportunity only in kindergartens and primary schools,” Hungary said in a statement.

Hungarian Secretary of State for national policy Janos Arpad Potapi called the decision to reform the Ukrainian education system "an unprecedented restriction of the rights of 150,000 ethnic Hungarians", and also reproached Ukrainian legislators that such a decision "completely contradicts the constitution."

At the same time, repressions began against Hungarian activists. The head of the Beregovsky District Council, Yosef Shin, and the deputy, Otto Vasha, were accused of separatism. Both are detained.

Bucharest also expressed its dissatisfaction with the adopted bill. The Romanian Foreign Ministry noted that they met the news about the Ukrainian education reform “with concern” and believe that the relevant law violates the rights of the Romanian minority. “In this regard, the topic of education in Romanian in Ukraine will be included in the agenda of Secretary of State Viktor Mikula, who next week will go to Kyiv,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

How to deal with teachers

The bill provides for a gradual increase in the official salary of teachers to three minimum wages by 2023 (by today's standards, this is 9.6 thousand hryvnias). At the same time, the salary of a teacher of each next qualification category will increase by at least 10%. It is also planned to establish monthly allowances for length of service, as well as for passing certification, to pedagogical and scientific and pedagogical workers.

More recently, Minister Lilia Grinevich herself stated that in Ukraine, on average, a teacher of the highest category receives 6.5 thousand hryvnias. And from next year, the salary of such a teacher will increase by 2 times. But so far the government has no idea where to get this money from.

The opposition believes that the problem will be solved by reducing the number of teachers. “Experts have already calculated that about 2/3 of teachers may simply lose their jobs,” says Alexander Vilkul.

One of the important innovations is the introduction of a mechanism for hiring teachers to work on a contract basis. School principals will be allowed to hold this position for no more than 6 years. The teachers themselves say that they will fall into complete dependence on those who will endorse these contracts. The director of one of the Dnepropetrovsk gymnasiums told Gazeta.ru that this would lead to mass non-signing of contracts with directors who were obstinate and too principled from the point of view of officials.

Interestingly, while accepting the entire text of the bill as a whole, the deputies approved one amendment, for which they did not vote separately.

We are talking about amendment 814, which gives the right to start administrative prosecution of teachers who will speak derogatoryly about Ukrainian symbols or the state itself.

This amendment was introduced by a deputy from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc. One of the authors of the project, Oleksandr Spivakovsky, states that the amendment refers to the fact that "pedagogical workers who defame Ukraine, defame its attributes, the national anthem, etc., cannot work in the education system." Despite the fact that no one saw its final text, the amendment was automatically voted along with the entire text of the bill.

Why does the village have a school

The bill paves the way for a further reduction in the number of schools in rural areas. This process is already underway in the form of the creation of so-called anchor schools, that is, when there is only one school left per united community. If on September 1, 2014 there were 17,600 schools in Ukraine, on September 1, 2016 - 16,900 schools, then by this academic year only 16,566 remained.

During the consideration of the project, the deputies urged their colleagues to support the decision so that the flagship school would be located no further than 15 kilometers from the villages where the student lives. In the final project we are talking about 50 kilometers.

According to Vasily Pykhta, director secondary school in one of the villages of the Vinnitsa region, now there are 27 students in the first grade of his school, of which 18 come from those villages where there have been no schools for a long time. Some are brought by parents, others during working week live with relatives.

“Under the presidency, they tried to launch a school bus that collected children from the villages and brought them to study, but then this project gradually came to naught. There were benefits that schoolchildren could ride for free in regular buses, but such a bus calls in some villages once a week. This usually leads to two consequences - either the parents make a conscious decision to drop out of school, or they move out of the village. I think you don’t need to explain that both are bad, ”Pykhta told Gazeta.Ru.

RIA Novosti Ukraine

The Law "On Education", which on Monday, September 25, was signed by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, begins large-scale reforms in an industry that has so far changed little since Soviet times. Actually, the current law on education was adopted back in Soviet times - in the spring of 1991. Since then, it has undergone many changes, writes Taras Shamaida for texty.org.ua.

So, what changes will occur in education?

1. Not just knowledge, but skill.

From the practice of packing children with a large amount of information and teaching on the principle of "memorized - answered - forgot" Ukrainian education, especially school education, should move on to developing children's competence. The new Ukrainian school should develop in children "reading with understanding, the ability to express one's thoughts orally and in writing, critical and systemic thinking, the ability to logically justify a position, creativity, initiative, the ability to constructively manage emotions, assess risks and make decisions, solve problems, the ability to cooperate with others".

Actually, most of the norms laid down in the law are subordinated to this very goal, for the achievement of which educational institutions, teachers, parents and applicants for education themselves are given greater freedom of action.

2. Three-level 12-year school.

Children will go to school, as a rule, at the age of 6, but in any case not later than the age of 7, and will study for 12 years.

Secondary education will consist of primary (4 years, grades 1-4), basic (5 years, grades 5-9) and specialized (3 years, grades 10-12). Starting from the 5th grade, children will study in gymnasiums, and after graduating from the 9th grade, they will continue their education in lyceums (institutions of a senior or specialized school) or acquire a vocational education.

After the end of each level, the knowledge of students will be checked with the help of the state final certification. After grade 4 it will be monitoring, and after grade 9 it will be a full-fledged external independent assessment.

Primary school can take many forms: one or more classes with students of the same or different ages, with one or more teachers. The law also allows work elementary school"in any other form which is most convenient and expedient for ensuring that children receive an elementary education in accordance with the standard of elementary education."

Lyceums will have an academic or professional direction, or there will be classes of different directions in one lyceum. In academic lyceums, students will be able to thoroughly prepare for higher education, in vocational lyceums they will be able to receive a secondary education and at the same time the first profession. Education in them will last three years instead of the current two. The extra year of schooling will alleviate the catastrophic lack of time and overload of high school students at the current two-year high school.

Each lyceum will be a separate legal entity and, as a rule, will be located in separate room. Lyceums are conceived not just as the senior classes of an ordinary school, but as separate institutions. Moreover, they are quite large, where in each parallel there are at least 4-5 classes, each with its own specialization. This means that there will be significantly fewer of them than the current 11-year schools. Accordingly, the transition to such lyceums will not take place as imperceptibly as it is now - graduates of the 9th grade will take the UPE, and based on their results they will enter the selected lyceums on a competitive basis.

Children will be enrolled in other schools without competition - except in situations where there are more applications for study at the school than there are places (in this case, priority will be given to children living in the service area of ​​this school).

The new system will be introduced gradually, not to say very slowly. The elementary school will start operating from September 1, 2018, the basic school from September 1, 2022, and the specialized school from September 1, 2027. However, the law contains the option of introducing a three-year profile education earlier, both in individual institutions and throughout the country. The Ministry of Education and Science does not exclude the acceleration of the reform and the introduction of a full-fledged 12-year period from September 1, 2022-23.

This option is possible if the society in the first years of the reform realizes its importance, and the educational and budgetary systems are quite ready for changes.

3. Professional education.

After graduating from the 9th grade, children will be able to study at vocational colleges, getting a profession both at the same time as receiving a full higher education, and without it.

4. Three-year bachelor's degree and two-year master's degree.

To obtain a bachelor's degree, students will study not four, but three years. On the other hand, master's studies will become longer and will last two years, now - one and a half. Admission to the master's program will be based on the results of the EIT.

5. Autonomy of schools and greater freedom of the teacher.

An educational institution can carry out educational activities simultaneously at different levels of education and various types education, create for this structural units. That is, theoretically, there may be an institution that unites Kindergarten, elementary school, gymnasium, lyceum, university, vocational college and music or art school. You just need to get the appropriate licenses and pass accreditation.

Educational institutions will be able to form with others legal entities educational, educational-scientific, scientific, educational-industrial and other associations.

All educational institutions - from kindergartens to universities - will receive much more freedom. Until now (since 2014), only universities had autonomy.

Now, schools, kindergartens and other educational institutions of all forms of ownership will have self-governing collegiate bodies - supervisory (trustee) and pedagogical councils, parental councils, etc. - which will make the most important decisions. The composition of the supervisory (trustee) board, to which the founder can delegate his powers, cannot include employees of this institution and students in it.

The director of the school or kindergarten will be elected for six years by a competitive commission composed of representatives of other schools, local authorities, teachers of pedagogical universities and the public. To participate in the competition, one must be fluent in the state language and have a higher education, but the founders have the right to establish additional qualification requirements for candidates.

The director will independently select his deputies and other pedagogical workers for work. An educational institution has the right to announce a competition for any vacancy, but the main thing is that the appointments will take place without the consent of the local authorities, which is required now.

Educational institutions and teachers will independently form learning programs which, on the proposal of the pedagogical council, will be approved by the head of the institution. The only requirement is their compliance with state education standards adopted by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The teacher will be able to work freely according to his own program and choose the forms of conveying the material to the children. At the same time, the ministry will develop model programs for those teachers who are unwilling or unable to develop their own.

The law cancels the procedure for attestation of schools and local education departments for their inspection.

The inspections themselves will be liquidated, and the employees of the methodological rooms will be engaged in support and assistance to educational institutions instead of inspections. These establishments will only be checked public service the quality of education. A scheduled audit of the institution, including verification of compliance with license conditions, will take place once every 10 years.

6. You can be a director for no more than 12 years.

Limiting the tenure of one person in the position of head will spread from universities to all educational institutions. There will be no more lifetime school principals. A person can be elected to the post of director for no more than two six-year terms in a row, and then can work in another position in the same school or apply for directorship in another.

7. Large salaries for teachers.

The official salary of a teacher of the lowest category will be three minimum salaries. This level will be reached gradually, until 2023. If it were introduced immediately, such a salary would be 9,600 hryvnia, and with various bonuses, teachers would earn even more. However, for this it would be necessary to find at least 87 billion budget hryvnia, which is unrealistic.

When the authors of the law laid down this norm, the minimum wage was equal to the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons. However, from January 1, 2017, after the law was voted in the first reading, the minimum wage was set at two minimum wages: UAH 3,200 instead of UAH 1,600, so the cost of the educational bill has increased by tens of billions.

Therefore, for the second reading, the educational committee of the Verkhovna Rada made an amendment to the text, replacing three minimum wages with four subsistence minimums (today 6,736 hryvnias). However, during the consideration of the law at the plenary session, at the suggestion of Yulia Tymoshenko, the amendment failed.

The salary of a scientific and pedagogical worker of the lowest qualification will be at least 25% more than the salary of a teacher of the lowest category. The salary of an employee of each subsequent category must increase by at least 10%.

8. Voluntary certification of teachers.

All pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical workers, as now, must definitely improve their qualifications, but this procedure will undergo fundamental changes. These services will be able to provide various state, municipal and private institutions, as well as public organizations that will have the appropriate license. The teacher himself is free to choose where to improve his qualifications, it can be several different institutions, the total training time in which should be at least 150 hours for 5 years.

Instead of advanced training, a teacher can, on his own initiative, undergo voluntary certification for knowledge of the subject and possession of modern educational methods. After passing such certification, the teacher will receive a certificate for three years and a 20% salary supplement, and will also be able to train other teachers.

9. Inclusive education and re-profiling of boarding schools.

The law encourages the education of children with special needs, orphans and children from difficult families in regular schools. According to the parents of children with special needs, schools should create special classes where such children could study. If necessary, children with special needs can go to school later and study longer.

Children with hearing impairments will be provided with conditions for learning in sign language.

Until December 31, 2021, all boarding schools must become either ordinary schools, kindergartens or other educational institutions accessible to all children, or orphanages in the system of the Ministry of Social Policy. The decision on the fate of each boarding school will be made by the regional and Kyiv city councils.

10. Educational districts.

Various educational institutions within a certain territory (including institutions of out-of-school education, culture, physical education) will form a single educational district, the center of which will be a reference school, conveniently located for the transport of children from other settlements and provided with qualified personnel and modern equipment.

11. Ukrainian language.

The educational process in all educational institutions will take place in the Ukrainian language. Representatives of national minorities have the right to study in separate groups of kindergartens and elementary school classes, in which, in addition to Ukrainian, the language of the respective minority will be used in the educational process.

Starting from the 5th grade, all education will take place in the Ukrainian language, exceptions are possible only for representatives of indigenous peoples (primarily Crimean Tatars), who can keep bilingual education until the end of high school.

For first-graders, such a system will work from September 1, 2018, and for those who started studying in schools with the language of national minorities earlier, from September 1, 2020, and over these three years, the number of subjects taught in Ukrainian.

The study of the Ukrainian language becomes mandatory in all educational institutions (including universities, in many of which such teaching was stopped on the basis of the law "On Higher Education").

In educational institutions, according to the educational program, one or more disciplines can be taught in two or more languages ​​- in the state language, in English, in other official languages ​​of the European Union. It should be noted that among the 24 EU languages ​​there are languages ​​of some national minorities of Ukraine - Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Bulgarian, Slovak and the like.

The Russian language does not belong to the EU languages, therefore, even individual subjects or disciplines (except for the Russian language course itself) will not be able to be taught in Russian either at a basic or specialized school, or at music or art schools, or at universities or vocational colleges.

The language article of the law, the final version of which was formulated by a working group of representatives of different factions, the Ministry of Education and experts on the day of voting for the law, has already been called backlash Moscow, Budapest and Bucharest, but formally neither the enemies nor the partners of Ukraine have anything to complain about - the norms of this article clearly comply with both our Constitution and international treaties ratified by Ukraine.

And the level of protection of the rights of minorities in the new law is still much higher than the level of protection of Ukrainians in the same Romania or Hungary, not to mention Russia.

12. Information transparency.

Each educational institution is obliged to place in the public domain on its website (or website of the founder) all important information about their activities.

Such information, the law, in particular, includes the charter, licenses, certificates, institutional accreditation and accreditation of programs, the structure and management bodies of the institution, personnel, educational programs, the language of the educational process, vacancies and competitions, logistics, availability of hostels, places in of them and the amount of payment for accommodation, the results of quality monitoring, the annual report, admission rules, accessibility conditions for persons with special needs, the amount of tuition fees, the list and cost of additional services.

The estimate and financial report on the receipt and use of all funds received, information on the list of goods, works and services received as charitable assistance, indicating their cost, as well as funds received from other sources not prohibited by law, must be made public.

13. Academic integrity.

The law obliges participants in the educational process to observe academic integrity.

Violations of academic integrity include plagiarism, self-plagiarism (when a person presents his or her old scientific results as new), fabrication or falsification of data, cheating, deceit, bribery, and biased assessment.

A violator of integrity is threatened with a refusal to award an academic degree or title, deprivation of already awarded degrees, titles, qualification categories, deprivation of the right to hold certain positions. Pupils and students for integrity violations can be sent to retake an exam, a test, etc., retake a course, be deprived of scholarships or benefits, or be expelled from an educational institution.

14. More funding sources.

The state, as now, will allocate subventions to local budgets for general secondary education, including secondary education in vocational schools. The professional component of these institutions will be financed mainly by regional budgets.

The state will finance education at state-funded places in universities and the training of specialists in scarce working professions in the vocational education system.

Local authorities and self-government bodies must create appropriate conditions for the work of educational institutions, incl. provide them with premises and organize the transportation of children from neighboring villages to pivotal schools.

Pre-school and out-of-school education is financed mainly from local budgets, which, thanks to decentralization, have more than doubled in three years. At the same time, kindergartens, as well as private schools that justify the cost of education, will receive additional money for each child from the state budget.

In general, each educational institution has the right to receive money from the budgets of different levels, as well as from any sources not prohibited by law. Educational institutions will have the right to receive voluntary donations, grants, dividends, assistance from parents, private partners and the like, to provide paid services, sell products produced in workshops or production units. Each institution will be able to freely spend funds on its statutory activities, and temporarily free money will be able to place in state banks.