The issue of preschool education provision is relevant - expert opinion

May 8, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The issue of preschool education provision is relevant. This opinion was expressed to a BELTA correspondent by the head of the education department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Ivan Shchurok, commenting on the Address of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly. "The problem of a shortage of places in preschool institutions, raised today by the head of state in his Address to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly, is indeed relevant: in the Vitebsk region, there are quite a lot of appeals on this issue, especially from young families, people living in newly built neighborhoods of the regional center, Orsha and Polotsk," Ivan Shchurok emphasized. He noted that this issue has been resolved in the rural areas of the region. In order to increase the accessibility of preschool education in the Vitebsk region, it is planned to commission two kindergartens in 2012. New preschool institutions, being built at the expense of budget funds, will open in Polotsk and the Bilevo microdistrict of Vitebsk. Plans for the development of preschool education for the current year include laying the foundation for another kindergarten in the Bilevo microdistrict and continuing the construction of a primary school - kindergarten for 400 places in Novopolotsk, which is scheduled for completion in 2013. In addition, in the regional center, a kindergarten is being built in the Medtsentr microdistrict at the expense of sponsorship from enterprises and organizations, as well as small and medium-sized businesses, which is also planned to be commissioned this year. Ivan Shchurok focused on the need to improve the quality of education in secondary schools. "This issue was also raised in the Address. We have accumulated a fairly good base, we have qualified personnel, but the quality of education needs to be improved," said the head of the education department. -0-