An expanded meeting dedicated to the educational sphere of the republic was held at the initiative of the PMR President. The working discussion was organized at the presidential executive office. Leaders of the legislative and executive branches of power, state administrations, the Ministry of Education and the relevant parliamentary committee, as well as directors of a number of educational institutions were invited to the conversation. A wide range of interrelated issues was discussed. The Minister of Education outlined the key problems of pre-school and general education, announced significant digital indicators in her opinion.
There are 155 kindergartens in Pridnestrovie, attended by 20657 preschoolers. Number of pupils decreased by 2212 during the decade. The staffing of urban preschool institutions is 79%, rural – 47%. 158 schools and "school-kindergarten" complexes are attended by 45033 children. There are three times more schoolchildren in urban institutions than in rural ones. The average class size in the urban environment is 21,6; in rural areas – 9.9. Public spending per child in rural schools is twice the amount spent on schooling in the city. The number of students has decreased by 1100 during 10 years. The staffing level of general educational institutions in urban areas exceeds 58%, in rural areas – slightly more than 27%. There are 86 small schools in the republic in general. The problem is the discrepancy between the education of teachers and educators, as well as an unacceptably small percentage of young professionals. There is only one young teacher for every ten teachers of retirement age. Some schools exceeded the standard for class occupancy due to a shortage of staff. The fifth and ninth schools of the capital are named as an example. It was noted that there is a shortage of not only teachers, but also technical workers. There are 13 vacancies for school and kindergarten cooks in Tiraspol. The reasons are extremely low wages and disproportionate workload.
Svetlana Ivanishina spoke about the quality of education. The final state certification in the form of deriving the average mark in the subject, which they were forced to resort to in recent years, does not reflect the real level of knowledge of students, the minister considers. 43.2% of applicants did not confirm the grades given in school certificates during the admission campaign of PSU this year. There were also questions to applicants for medals following the results of 11 years of study.
The administration of the education system considers it expedient to preserve the USE. Teachers ask to consider the distance learning format only as an exceptional measure in special circumstances. The participants of the meeting agreed that there is no need to quarantine the entire class if one case of coronavirus is detected. The President instructed the Chief Sanitary Doctor to study this issue and give opinion. It seems effective to remotely connect an isolated student to a common lesson held in the classroom.
Determination of the financial need for the technical equipment of biology, chemistry and physics classrooms is among the presidential instructions given during the meeting. The Ministry of Education will calculate the costs, the Government will give an opinion on the possibility of allocating funds. They also talked about the lessons of basic military training and that it is necessary to intensify the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Defense in this work. The importance of developing the sports infrastructure of educational institutions was discussed. They touched upon the issue of providing large families with school supplies. There are questions about implementation of the government decree on the ground. The legal framework will be improved for the smooth operation of the mechanism, assured the Chairman of the Government of the PMR Alexander Rosenberg.
They focused in the course of the meeting on the implementation of the Electronic Journal project. The introduction of the Electronic Journal system began in 2020 on the basis of 26 schools. 106 general education organizations have already participated in the program in the 2021-2022 academic year, and about fifty more have joined this year. 1934 monoblocks were purchased. The need for modern computers and fiber optic communications is much greater. Vadim Krasnoselsky asked the heads of all district public education departments about the technical possibility of local schools to participate in the Electronic Journal project. Equipment is still far from modern standards especially in rural educational institutions. The President instructed to prepare a detailed report-request indicating the need for computers for each school of the republic. Speaking about rural schools, Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized the importance of their preservation, noting that a third of the population of Pridnestrovie lives in rural areas. The President recalled the current legislative norms requiring the consent of village assemblies in matters of closing an educational and cultural institution.
Problems of the system of secondary vocational education were included in the agenda of the meeting as a separate issue. They talked about the acute shortage of workers experienced by the Pridnestrovian labor market. There are 14 organizations of secondary vocational education in the republic at the same time. 40% of ninth grade graduates enter technical schools and colleges. More than six thousand people study (two thirds - at the expense of the state budget). The annual graduation is about 1300 specialists. A serious problem is the outdated material and technical base. The meeting participants spoke about the need to optimize the vocational education system, making it more compact and efficient. Vadim Krasnoselsky instructed to develop a detailed project of the proposed optimization, indicating potential merger targets, costs and the expected effect. The discussion of this issue will return when the project proposal is ready.
Another topical issue is the activities of the Institute for the Development of Education and Advanced Training. The institution was established in 1984. Its importance is not diminished. The rector informed during the meeting about the directions and results of the institute's activities. It was noted at the same time that the staff of the institution was seriously reduced. If 10 years ago it was about 122, then 28,25 rates are divided among 55 specialists today. A big problem is the state of the institute's infrastructure. The educational institution is located in a building built in 1960. There are problems with space heating. Computer equipment is outdated morally and worn out physically. The President instructed to include the building of the Institute in the list of priorities for inclusion in the Capital investment fund program. In addition, the institution will be provided with computer equipment at the insistence of the PMR President.
Concluding the four-hour discussion, the President emphasized the importance of such meetings. Vadim Krasnoselsky spoke about the need to move away from general phrases and vague initiatives. Specific proposals should be discussed. An important point is the participation in the dialogue of the direct executors of the decisions being made. Additional thematic meetings on the identified issues will be held in the near future. The proposed optimization in the field of vocational education was taken by the PMR President under personal control.
