The evolution of decentralization in education in Ukraine, whether in the field of general education or vocational education and training (VET), is creating good synergies and appetite for effective and systemic reforms. However, the ambition on reforming (optimizing, rationalizing) VET networks in Ukraine is not new as efficiency and effectiveness of many establishments is questionable.
Ukraine has a large number of VET establishments which is constantly declining over the years. The number of schools dropped by 10% from 824 in 2015 to 743 (2019). This is making Ukrainian stakeholders work towards identifying the right number of quality VET establishments, which can make system more attractive- and excellent. VET school governance and financing are core elements to support this indeed.
Thus, increasing school autonomy is key policy driver in this process. School autonomy enables schools to take those decisions which they are in the best position to take with the aim to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of education and training. Research has identified three main domains of school autonomy: managerial autonomy, financial autonomy, and pedagogical autonomy.
In the context of VET reform in Ukraine, apart from main types of vocational schools, VET Centers of Excellence shall play an important role as high-quality training providers serving as reference points for training in specific sectors. They are seen as institutions which exemplify proactive measures to attract students, ensure effective quality assurance, and highly effective cooperation with employers.
To support the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MoES) in the decentralization process of the vocational education and training system from June 2019 till March 2020 ETF has implemented a project “Reforming Regional VET networks in Ukraine: Implementing VET School Autonomy and Accountability”.
The purpose of this project was to explore stakeholders’ views about VET school autonomy and accountability and the distribution of tasks and responsibilities at the different levels of the VET system in Ukraine. This has been done through focus group meetings in the three regions recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science and an online national survey.
These tasks and responsibilities of stakeholders as identified under the project are presented in the Analytical Framework for VET School Autonomy and Accountability in Ukraine. The purpose of the Framework is to provide a clear description of the suggested distribution of tasks among stakeholders at the different levels of the education system and thus support the decision-making authorities, i. e. first and foremost the Ministry of Education and Science, in their efforts to advance VET school autonomy and accountability.
The analytical framework is a result of desk research, focus groups. It helps to deliver a questionnaire for further data collection from national survey implemented in 24 Ukrainian regions (number of respondents -963).
The Framework covers three functional areas: (i) managerial functions, (ii) financial functions and (iii) pedagogical functions. For each of these functions, the responsibilities of stakeholders are described at three levels: (i) the national level (Ministry of Education and Science), (ii) the regional level (Regional VET Council, Education Department of regional state administration), and (iii) the VET school level (School Council, school director, teachers and workshop instructors).
The Analytical Framework provides a coherent picture of a decentralized VET system with extensive VET school autonomy as seen by national stakeholders. The Framework served as basis for the design of a comprehensive set of recommendations for the operationalization of the Framework by the respective authorities in Ukraine.
The final report of the project presented in this blog includes background information on school autonomy and accountability, three country cases of VET school autonomy and accountability (Estonia, Austria and Poland) , an overview of current national legislation in VET, and the results of the desk and field studies conducted under the project (focus group meetings in three regions of Ukraine and a national survey). This final report aims to provide the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine with concrete guidance toward increasing VET school autonomy and accountability.
Last but not least, the ETF project has also strategic objective to iterate results to support discussing with other partner countries on these issues and, perhaps, to use methods and findings for helping as inspiration to work together on the ambition of many partner countries to continue granting VET School Autonomy aligned to Accountability practices.
VET school autonomy and accountability in Ukraine. Final report in English;
Please log in or sign up to comment.