Each education system has its strong sides, advantages, problems and disadvantages

as well, and Ukraine is no exception.

While visiting schools in Ukraine, especially village schools, it is hard to believe that
the state spends 6 percent of GDP on education - one of the highest rates of public
spending on education in the world. Ukrainian schools often lack adequate facilities,
modern equipment or quality textbooks. Moreover, both the approaches towards
teaching and towards learning are out of date, with students practicing rote recitation
without knowing how to use this knowledge in everyday life.  Lessons are
overflowing with theoretical knowledge and lacking in practical application, while
textbooks are overburdened with secondary factual materials – dampening motivation
and curiosity among students.

It is а pity, but the another problem in the Ukrainian education system is corruption.
In addition, unofficial payments are common in education. It is not a secret that many
schools collect money from parents for classroom remodeling or gifts for teachers.
Students, or their parents, pay for entry into institutions of higher education, and if
necessary, also for exams and degrees. These practices affect students’ understanding
of fair competition and the need to study.

Despite these negative facts, there are certainly good points . Fortunately, Ukraine
recognizes this challenge and appears committed to address it. The new Law “On
Education” was a promising start. The critical and longer-term test will be aligning
the country’s education policies with its changing demographics, skills required to
compete in the 21st century and allocating budget resources efficiently and
effectively.

An important highlight of the country’s new education law is its focus on inclusive
education, a facet of education never before adopted in Ukraine. The new law allows
for teacher specialists to work with children with physical and mental disabilities.
This further allows them to integrate into special programming in ordinary schools.

Another positive change is that the Ukrainian education system is switching from an
11-year program to a 12-year program. This is also in an effort for education to align
itself with European standards.

The good news is that most of the reform initiatives in the new law have a relatively
low cost in the short term. These initiatives include new textbooks, development of a
digital e-learning platform, professional development opportunities, and new
equipment for schools, including furniture, learning resources, and computers.

To sum up, I want to say that smart resource planning and management is important
for a country to build a modern education system, it must become internationally
competitive and prosperous.