Yesterday a new academic year began in Ukrainian schools. At the same time, due to the realities of martial law, the organization of the educational process in different regions differs significantly. Territorial became the determining criterion for choosing the form of education this year. According to Minister of Education Sergei Shkarlet, students are divided into categories depending on their place of residence at the start of the school year. Depending on this, the forms of education can be selected: full-time, distance, mixed, family, or external studies.
In Kyiv, most schools will continue to use the traditional full-time form of education. According to the KMDA, about 68% of schools in the capital are equipped with shelters, the capacity of which will directly affect the number of students in the classes. This should be determined by a special commission. At the same time, according to the survey, about 70% of parents of Kyiv students choose the full-time form of education for their children.
Oksana Poenko, the founder and director of the Mainstream school in the capital, believes that the choice of the form of education in the current conditions should be individual.
“Now the safety of the child is of decisive importance, depending on this, the format of education can be different. If the school is equipped with a reliable shelter, then it can be even a safer place than a residential building where such shelter may not be,” she said.
According to Oksana Poenko, one should not forget about the traditional advantages and disadvantages of distance or face-to-face education.
“The best option for learning, in my opinion, is now a mixed form, when individual subjects can be taught remotely. The specifics of the course itself are of great importance. Some disciplines are much better perceived by students through the full-time form. We have implemented several concepts at our school as full-time, For example, there are specialized classes for older students, as well as an online school for distance education,” Poenko stressed.
In her opinion, the initiative of the Ministry of Education to reduce the number of students in classes and introduce two-shift education is correct not only for security reasons but also from a purely pedagogical point of view.
“Since 2016, the Mainstream School has been using a methodology to create a special social environment for students, when their individuality is maximally supported. It is optimal for a teacher to maintain communication with no more than 10 students during a lesson. Yes, there are state standards that say about 25-30 students, but, in my opinion, this is an outdated practice that should be abandoned long ago. In such a class, the teacher simply does not have time to pay enough attention to everyone, and this is very important for the development of the child’s individuality,” Poenko said.
The Mainstream School was founded in October 2016. The purpose of creating an educational institution was the need for quality education for children. The school appeared as an alternative to the state one, and over the years of working with children, it can be said with confidence that studying in a private school of a new format has its advantages. And the increase in the number of students by 10 times suggests that the positive aspects of such education are obvious!
Education in the school is focused primarily on the quality of education and the preparation of the student. The educational process at the school is focused primarily on the quality of education and the preparation of the student. The level of education of the child meets not only the requirements of state standards but also the obligatory needs of a modern person – the ability for independent and harmonious development, self-learning, and self-organization.
DISTANCE_EDUCATION, EDUCATION, MAINSTREAM_SCHOOL, OKSANA_PAENKO, SCHOOL
