Educational departments in rayons and amalgamated hromadas have to be substantially changed, stated Serhii Dyatlenko, educational expert of the Central Reform Office at MinRegion, during the training for educators in Chernihiv.

“Earlier the activity of educational departments could be described in such a way: urgent affairs are first in line to be dealt with, then come important ones. Therefore, the tasks assigned from above are to be fulfilled as priority. But, in fact, it is necessary not only to organise the educational process, but to provide an effective interaction between local self-government bodies, educational establishments and hromada residents. And to do this, one has to focus on important, rather than urgent tasks – create opportunities for providing quality education, rather than patching the holes” said the expert.

Serhii Dyatlenko is convinced that hromada should invest funds in the formation of capable educational institutions that will provide children with high-quality education, and not simply support the network of schools. “In most cases, the previously formed school network does not provide quality education, but takes a lot of money. It is necessary to unite around providing children with education that will ensure their success in life,” believes the expert.