Almost 80% of children in the Vitebsk region attend state preschool institutions today
Why is private business not entering this sphere, what is the level of educators helping toddlers take their first steps in learning, what do their parents want, and what can the state currently offer, was told to the "VV" correspondent by Tatiana Ulyanova, chief specialist of the education department of the regional executive committee.
– It is represented by 615 institutions implementing the preschool education program. There are 438 kindergartens specifically, including 9 preschool development centers, 5 sanatorium-type kindergartens, 4 special institutions where children with psychophysical development peculiarities are educated. The remaining 177 are educational-pedagogical complexes (kindergarten-schools). Currently, about 49 thousand children under six years of age attend preschool institutions.
– Recently, fortunately, there has been an increase in the birth rate. Are there enough places in preschool institutions?
– About 13 thousand children are born in the region annually. Thanks to the introduction of new forms of preschool education, such as weekend groups, temporary stay groups, adaptation groups, seasonal and play areas, 79% of children attend kindergartens, which are quite coping with the increasing number of pupils. With the state standard for provision of places in preschool institutions at 85% of the number of children under six years of age, the regional indicator is 95%. Some strain is felt only in kindergartens within walking distance, especially in new microdistricts.
– The numbers are impressive, but doesn't this mean that places for children in kindergartens appear due to overcrowded groups?
– To some extent, this is indeed the case. However, the situation is not critical. Although there are preschool institutions where groups consist of 28-29 children with a norm of no more than 20 people. This is a forced exception and is observed only in residential microdistricts. Parents always have a choice of preschool institutions, but most want to attend kindergartens near their homes, despite the fact that they are sometimes overcrowded. The situation can only be improved by the construction of new institutions, which is being done and will continue to be done in the Vitebsk region.
– But this is expensive and takes a long time. Why do you think there are no private preschool institutions in the region yet?
– The education department is always open to proposals from private, even foreign, investors, but so far no one has shown initiative. This can probably be explained by the fact that it is now easier to register as an individual entrepreneur and provide services, for example, for organizing play and developmental activities for children,
nanny services, and so on. Moreover, no approvals are required from the education department for this, and control over such work with children is not within our competence.
However, entrepreneurship is far from a preschool institution as an educational complex, where a preschool education program is implemented, qualified specialists work, quality nutrition is organized, and so on. It requires money to create, which is unlikely to pay off quickly, and businessmen understand this perfectly.
– But in neighboring Russia, there are many mini-kindergartens in apartments, on the ground floors of apartment buildings…
– This is not a panacea at all. In Belarus, preference is given to state preschool education, and modern kindergartens are being built – with spacious sports and music halls, swimming pools. Four such facilities are currently under construction in the region (in Vitebsk, Glubokoye, Orsha district).
– Many parents are concerned that their children may not receive enough attention in overcrowded groups. How justified is this concern?
– Much depends on the teacher's skill. The resources of kindergartens today allow for work plans to be created so that everyone gets enough attention. The priority is personality-oriented learning and an individual approach to upbringing. In addition, all preschool institutions provide educational services beyond the basic ones at the request of parents, including on a paid basis. If necessary, even home-based education is organized. On the other hand, who said that upbringing by a team and within a team is bad, especially for young children?
– How do you assess the professional level of preschool teachers? Is there still a shortage of them?
– Thanks to the increased enrollment in the specialty "Preschool Education" at Vitebsk State University named after P. Masherov, the issue of staffing is being resolved more effectively. This year, city preschool institutions are fully staffed with specialists; there are problems only in rural areas, and even then, not everywhere. The issue lies elsewhere. Currently, only 39% of teachers in the region have specialized preschool education, as required by law. This means that teachers of other specialties (except for primary school) without appropriate retraining have no prospects for growth: they cannot improve their qualification category and lose in salary. However, the Ministry of Education takes a firm stance in this regard, and no changes should be expected. I consider this justified when it comes to the quality of education and children's safety. Why can't a kindergarten teacher aspire to be a subject teacher, while, for example, a mathematician can work in the preschool sphere, which has a completely different specificity?
Therefore, we are guiding kindergarten teachers without specialized education towards retraining and distance learning for higher preschool education. In the last few years, about 300 educators have already undergone this. In the near future, it is thought that the situation will stabilize. Currently, more than 7,000 educators work in kindergartens in the Vitebsk region, 54% of them have the highest and first qualification categories, and the average age of teachers is about 40 years.
– In recent years, the image of the teaching profession has been improving along with salaries. Can the same be said about preschool teachers?
– Judging by the fact that there are no vacancies in kindergartens in cities, the profession of a preschool teacher is not the worst for women. Although the salary, of course, leaves much to be desired: on average, about 3.2 million rubles per month. It can be higher due to the introduction of contract bonuses, the provision of paid educational services by teachers, the improvement of qualification categories, and the use of the opportunities provided by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 29.
– Educators often complain about being overloaded with paperwork. What is the situation with this in kindergartens?
– To be honest, this is an initiative of individual preschool institutions. Today, the Ministry of Education has clearly defined the document flow.
– Will the cost of children's stay in kindergarten increase?
– We are a social state, and it is unlikely that kindergarten will ever become unaffordable for most families in this regard. Parents pay only for the cost of food, and now a differentiated payment for meals has been introduced. If desired, one can refuse an afternoon snack or dinner and pay less, but one should not forget about the child's health. On average, it currently costs about 600 thousand rubles per month. The state budget finances all utility services, employee salaries, and much more. The full cost of maintaining a child in kindergarten is approximately 2.2 million rubles per month.
– How does the education department view the so-called voluntary parental contributions and sponsorship? How necessary are they?
– The key word here is voluntariness. Issues of additional funding are resolved by self-governing bodies, which include the board of trustees and the parent committee. Kindergarten staff are not entitled to impose anything. On the other hand, it should be understood that a preschool institution is not only the premises of a separate children's group, but also the territory, corridors, roof, and so on. Every year, regional and local budgets allocate billions of rubles to maintain all this in a decent condition. Much is done in kindergartens at the expense of funds received from the provision of educational services on a paid basis. It's another matter if it concerns school supplies, aids for individual work with children.
– How often do children attending kindergartens get sick?
– According to statistics, in the last academic year, each student missed an average of 4.4 days per month (4.5 for the republic). In 2013-2014, the regional indicator was 4.9. Now, much is being done in kindergartens in the area of health-saving technologies, balanced rational nutrition, hardening procedures, optimal academic load, physical development, and motor activity of the child play a major role. Therefore, there is a result.
– In your opinion, what should an ideal kindergarten be like?
– One can talk a lot about excellent material and technical base, modern equipment, educational toys, but I am convinced that the main thing is still qualified, child-loving educators. After all, at preschool age, it is not so much the amount of knowledge that is important, but the development of all mental processes and the child's personality as a whole. If an educator in kindergarten teaches a little person to explore the world, then the child will grow up successful.
Alexandra Kutynko, photo by the author. Vitebskiye Vesti.