The prospects for the development of the Vitebsk region's education system were discussed at the regional conference of educators
Teachers, together with students, tested water purity, investigated the thermal conductivity of various materials, and observed plants using electronic microscopes, demonstrating the capabilities of modern chemistry and physics classrooms. Preschool institutions showcased modern children's inventory for developing fine motor skills in toddlers – so-called busy boards and busy houses, which were only recently dreamed of. Secondary School No. 2 of Verkhnedvinsk, which recently received the status of "School of the Future," acquired a laser engraving machine. Today's children can only be envied!
– We are purposefully working to strengthen the material and technical base of educational institutions in the Vitebsk region, – noted Nikolai Sherstnev. – As a result of improving the economic efficiency of the system, funds are generated for specific projects and activities. Over the last three years, this amounts to more than 90 million rubles, of which 22.5 million have been spent on acquiring new equipment. The bus fleet of educational institutions for transporting children has been updated by 120 units. Thanks to the concentration of material and human resources in district centers, the "School of the Future" project is being implemented, educational institutions in small towns are being modernized, modern conditions for education and upbringing are being created in "Villages of the Future," and the development program for the cities of Orsha, Polotsk, and Novopolotsk is being fulfilled. Modern educational equipment is being purchased to create the necessary conditions for children's development from kindergarten.
According to Nikolai Nikolaevich, the quality of education is not so much about good grades as it is about a correctly formed life position, purposefulness, and diligence.
– Today, a bricklayer with a secondary vocational education is in greater demand than an economist or a lawyer with a higher education, – noted the chairman of the regional executive committee. – There is a shortage of labor in the agro-industrial complex, construction, and light industry. Therefore, career guidance work with students and their parents comes to the forefront. The orientations and approaches to vocational education are changing, and new professional competencies are developing. Therefore, when assessing the quality of work of educational institutions, not only the Olympiad movement, CT results, and so on, but also the ability of managers to build individual career guidance work will now be taken into account. At the same time, support for gifted children will continue – in 2019 alone, 620 thousand rubles were allocated for this purpose.
Nikolai Sherstnev noted positive shifts in the development of vocational and secondary vocational education in the region, which is gradually approaching the standards of the 21st century: educational equipment is being modernized, students of agricultural educational institutions undergo mandatory industrial practice in the best agricultural organizations of the region, and resource centers for various professional specialties are being opened on the basis of leading colleges.
The head of the region also drew the educators' attention to the demographic problem, the retention of young specialists, and the safety and aesthetics of educational institutions.
– On the eve of the new academic year, it is necessary to support families in difficult life situations, – he emphasized. – All children should be ready for school.
Readiness Number One
According to Dmitry Khoma, Head of the Main Department for Education of the Regional Executive Committee, 57 computer classes, 457 computers, 95 multi-boards and interactive whiteboards, and 42 school buses have been purchased for educational institutions in the region for the new academic year. 3 million has been spent on updating furniture, and 8.5 million on technological and refrigeration equipment for canteens.
“Today, there is a clear understanding of the prospects for the development of the education system at all levels of management in the region,” noted Dmitry Leonidovich. “At the same time, the main condition for stable development is the effective work of each of us: the head, the teacher, the methodologist, the educator, those who work in kindergartens, schools, lyceums, colleges, or universities, and develop children's talents and abilities in institutions of additional education.”
In the new academic year, 344 general secondary education institutions (23 gymnasiums) and 536 preschool education institutions will open their doors in the Vitebsk region. By the next academic year, the construction of a school in the Bilevo-2 microdistrict of Vitebsk for 1020 places will be completed.
Dmitry Khoma noted the high personnel potential of the region's educators: 94.2% of them have higher education, 80% have the highest and first qualification categories, and 36 have received the highest category of "teacher-methodologist." By the way, 554 young specialists will come to educational institutions this academic year, and Dmitry Leonidovich emphasized that maximum efforts must be made to ensure they remain in their workplaces.
“The optimization of the network of educational institutions has made it possible to increase school enrollment, and we have practically eliminated classes with a single student,” he reported. “Conditions have been created in the region for the effective operation of all types of educational institutions.”
What's new?
Igor Karpenko, speaking to journalists, noted that the main task of the entire education system is to create equal opportunities for the development of children in all regions, villages, and cities. However, local specifics must be taken into account: since 2020, the Belarusian education system has been transitioning to normative financing: the financial provision of educational institutions will directly depend on their enrollment. But at the same time, special coefficients are being introduced for small schools in rural areas.
The Minister of Education announced possible innovations that will take concrete shape after a meeting with the President of the Republic of Belarus in the coming months.
– Close attention must be paid to the content of education, – noted Igor Karpenko, – to determine educational priorities: strengthen the humanities or technical block? We will discuss this at the meeting. We are thinking about how to reduce the burden on students. This academic year, we tried to do this in the 6th and 8th grades by reducing the hours of life safety. There is room for reducing the burden on students in final assessments. Today, we have different forms of exams in universities and schools; often, the applicant is not visible behind the tests. This aspect needs to be reviewed from an organizational perspective. Pedagogical classes are very effective, after which motivated children can enter pedagogical universities based on an interview only. This year, specialized IT, agricultural, and sports-pedagogical classes will also appear. Education must constantly evolve.
More than 50 million rubles have already been allocated this year to strengthen the material and technical base of the region's educational institutions. This is 4.5 times more than, for example, in 2016.