1. The Ukrainian secondary education is hopelessly outdated
High level of education of the Ukrainians is traditionally considered to be one of the Education of the country’s
competitive advantages of our country. The right for free education, guaranteed by the population is considered to
government, ensures wide coverage, thereby 95 per cent of the Ukrainians have got be Ukraine’s competitive
certificate of secondary education. Within international comparison these figures do not advantage.
stand up to competition. In the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report At another point in quality of
for 2012 Ukraine is ranked the 49th out of 144 countries in secondary education coverage. education we lag behind the
In quality of education our position is even lower, being the 70th ranking. world standards
There is a popular belief that on the territory of the former Soviet Union strong physico-
mathematical school survived and upon entering educational institutions of more
developed countries our students are significantly ahead of their peers in knowledge level
of applied sciences. The figures of the quality of the Ukrainian students’ mathematical
attainment reveal the contrary: according the leading world assessment systems we fall
behind. For instance according to the top-ranked international study TIMSS achievements
of the Ukrainian pupils in mathematics and natural sciences are lower than the world’s
average.
Is it true that the secondary education system, inherited from the Soviet Union, is
hopelessly outdated? Or quite the opposite is it extensive capability for human capital
development?
Arguments FOR the motion
The Ukrainian secondary education system does not develop skills and personality. The Secondary school does not
Soviet approach to the secondary education stipulates teaching specified set of disciplines, develop personal gifts
with this set consisting of the same subjects for all pupils without any options. Secondary
school students have no opportunity to study subjects, which are of interest to them
particularly, to develop their innate bents and gifts. Instead of this they have to memorize
vast quantities of information. As a result we see increase in number of adults, who will
never find the right career field and who will perform their work indifferently. This has a
detrimental effect on competitiveness (both their own and overall country’s competitive
power).
Low salary and stigma attached to the teaching profession created the shortage of good Underpayment and stigma
teachers in schools. It has a negative impact on training quality, as level of teachers’ attached to the teachers
expertise is of critical importance. For instance Finland, whose secondary education impair quality of education
system is considered to be one of the best all over the world, carried out the education in schools
reform to improve the teaching profession status. As for today only the best graduates can
get accepted to become teachers in the Finnish schools. If we take the Ukrainian schools
we can see that the part of teachers of retirement age is constantly increasing and only
small percentage of graduates from Pedagogical Institutions of Higher Education see their
future in teaching in schools. The underlying factors of such situation are the following:
low teachers’ salaries and inadequate equipment of schools with new educational
technologies.
The Foundation for Effective Governance
Kiev, Illinskaya Str., 8, entrance VIII, the 5th floor, 04070, Ukraine
Tel: +380 44 501 41 00, Fax: + 380 44 501 41 05
feg@feg.org.ua
www.feg.org.ua, www.debaty.org, www.competitiveukraine.org

2. Arguments AGAINST the motion
The Ukrainian secondary school provides systematic and all-around knowledge to equip The secondary school
graduates with rather good level of basic education. The conventional approach of provides systematic and all-
obligatory set of subjects to be learned results in the average expertise level of graduates around knowledge of pupils
of the Ukrainian schools in the end being higher than the level of graduates of other
educational systems, under which it is optional to choose disciplines. National high
standards of teaching exact sciences are worth of respect as well. Namely such a level of
standards is the reason why the Ukrainian pupils continue to place high in international
mathematical and IT competitions.
The Ukrainian secondary school system provides graduates with more informed choice of Graduates of schools are
specialization and makes them more flexible and resilient in the labor market in future. equipped with knowledge for
Classroom-taskwork system familiarizes pupils with a variety of disciplines; this broadens more informed choice of
the range of options for choosing an occupation for a pupil. The diversity of knowledge, profession
gained at secondary school, if needed can also make change of activity easier for the
Ukrainians in future, making them more resilient in the labor market.
The question of the Ukrainian secondary school problems will be discussed in the frames of the first regional public
debates to be organized by the Foundation for Effective Governance on the 29th of November, 2012 in Lviv.
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Statistical information
Table 1 Ukrainian regions education indicators in Ukrainian National Competitiveness Report 2012
Quality of the educational system Quality of math and science education Internet access in schools
Rank Region Score Rank Region Score Rank Region Score
1 Rivne 4.6 1 Sevastopil 4.9 1 Sevastopil 5.1
2 Kyiv Oblast 4.5 2 Kharkiv 4.7 2 Zakarpattya 4.9
… … …
19 Lviv. 4.0 14 Lviv 4.2 19 Lviv 4.4
… … …
26 Khmelnytskiy. 3.8 26 Odessa 3.9 26 Ternopil 4.2
27 Kirovoghrad. 3.7 27 Zhytomyr 3.7 27 Chernivtsi 4.1
Average 27 regions 4.1 Average 27 regions 4.3 Average 27 regions 4.5
World average 3.7 World average 3.9 World average 4.1
Chart 1 Quality indicators of Ukraine’s secondary education Chart 2 Education expenditures, % GDP
7.0
6.0
5.0 4.6 4.6 4.4
4.1
3.8
4.0 3.6
3.0
2.0
1.0
Quality of the Quality of math and Internet access in
educational system science education schools
2011 2012
Source: Global Competitiveness Reports, WEF Source: Education at a Glance 2012: OECD Indicators
The Foundation for Effective Governance
Kiev, Illinskaya Str., 8, entrance VIII, the 5th floor, 04070, Ukraine
Tel: +380 44 501 41 00, Fax: + 380 44 501 41 05
feg@feg.org.ua
www.feg.org.ua, www.debaty.org, www.competitiveukraine.org