Liliya Hrynevych: Our goal is equal access to good education across Ukraine

In Ukraine there is a significant difference between the quality of education in urban and rural areas, as evidenced by the results of external independent testing (EIT) in recent years. Liliya Hrynevych, Minister of Education and Science, speaking at a press conference on the topic Details of the 2016 University Admissions Process, stressed this point.

The Minister said that the results of EIT in 2016 showed that the leaders in Ukraine are the city of Kyiv, and Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv counties. This rating was composed on the data showing the number of children in each region who achieved 200 marks for the results of at least one school subject.

Specifically, 65 children in the city of Kyiv scored 200 marks, 37 children in the Lviv area and Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv counties shared third place, each with 16 children scoring 200 marks in their EIT.

Those across Ukraine who received a certificate for 200 marks for their work from 12 subjects numbered 258 people, seven of them receiving 200 marks for two subjects.

Liliya Hrynevych urged caution in interpreting EIT results, despite the testing being formulated under understandable and objective conditions, because in large cities, where children have obtained such good results, there is a focus on many specialised educational establishments.

Separately, she added that now there is a clear difference between the quality of education in cities and villages. The Ministry plans to correct this by means of basic support schools.

"Our goal is good education across all of Ukraine. In particular, a project is currently underway in order to establish basic support schools in rural areas. We are very concerned that now, as demonstrated by the results of testing, children at a village school are 10 times less likely to achieve high results in their EIT in a foreign language. This means that children from villages must be helped to have equal access to higher education, as compared with children from cities", said Liliya Hrynevych.

Children now studying at schools with lower levels of facilities will be bussed to basic support schools. Thus, primary schools will be located wherever children live, but teaching at senior schools will be based on support schools that will be able to provide not only good teachers but also modern equipment.

It is planned that by 1 September there will be 204 basic support in all the counties of Ukraine. These themselves will have 643 branches.