Dmitry Khoma spoke about the reasons for closing schools in the Vitebsk region, organizing transportation, and the employment of teachers
The demographic situation in the Vitebsk region has developed in such a way that some classes in rural schools are simply absent. The main reason for the optimization of educational institutions lies in the decrease in the number of children living in rural areas. Undoubtedly, it is economically unprofitable to maintain small educational institutions, and, in addition, the quality of the educational process suffers.
The number of schools in the region has decreased by 108 units over 5 years. The number of students has increased by 3,959 people, while in rural areas it has decreased by 4,835 children.
The optimization process continues, and this year decisions are being made regarding about 20 institutions. Dmitry Khoma, head of the main department for education of the regional executive committee, spoke about the reasons for closure, the organization of transportation, the employment of teachers, and much more.
– The optimization of the network of educational institutions has affected not only the Vitebsk region but also the republic as a whole, – emphasized Dmitry Leonidovich. – This process has serious prerequisites: a decrease in the number of students in rural schools to 20-35 students, class sizes of 2-4 people, or the absence of individual classes, in this regard, subject teachers teach individual subjects without having the necessary specialization for this.
I would like to emphasize that the economic effect is not the main reason for optimization, although it also needs to be taken into account. For parents, the opportunity for children to receive a quality education and conditions for successful socialization and development of the child are important.
The closure of schools should not be viewed solely in a negative light, as the reality is not so dire. Let's be frank: the resources of urban schools are significantly higher in terms of staffing and equipment, opportunities for children's additional education, and the development of children's communication skills. When optimizing the network of educational institutions, important issues include working with staff to adapt students to new learning and upbringing conditions, and organizing transportation. Both children and parents should understand that the learning conditions and the quality of educational services provided have significantly improved.
The growth in the quality of education is confirmed by the results of our work. For the second year in a row, the entire education system of the Vitebsk region is recognized as the best in the country. Our results in the Centralized Testing and Olympiads are more than successful. After approximately 10 years, we have again risen to second place in the final stage of the Republican Subject Olympiad. Only Minsk is ahead of us; however, comparing the resources of the capital and our region, we conceded only 3 diplomas to them. It is gratifying that among the winners of the Republican Olympiad are students from 12 schools in district centers and urban settlements, and 4 rural schools.
The process of urbanization is ongoing. Our task, considering the critical distance for transportation, is to create a network that will exist for a long period. That is, if there are three small schools in a certain district, it is more expedient to keep one and give it the opportunity to function effectively.
– How do parents react to the optimization of educational institutions, are there any protest sentiments?
– Undoubtedly, closing a school is a painful process. And not only for students and their parents, but also for the entire staff of the educational institution. It is important here to convey the expediency of optimization to everyone. Parents need to familiarize themselves in advance with the educational institutions where their children will continue their studies. In most cases, tension disappears when they are convinced that the new school is well-equipped, has a modern material and technical base, and a safe route for transporting children has been thought out. Of course, questions from the public are inevitable. Therefore, we hold meetings with parents and teachers, provide explanations and exhaustive answers.
– Will there be a problem with organizing the transportation of students to the new place of study?
– We are doing everything possible to avoid such problems. Over the past five years, more than 140 buses have been purchased. Currently, the issue of replacing the vehicle fleet in the districts has been resolved, it has been updated by more than 70%. This year, the acquisition of more than 30 units of equipment is also planned.
Today, we are working to ensure that the transportation of children is carried out as safely as possible: traffic police officers inspect all routes, we conduct a large set of measures to train drivers, and we have installed video cameras in most buses. The requirements for school bus drivers are quite high.
It is worth noting that, geographically, settlements are scattered, of course, so the load on transport is high. Each bus has a teacher who is responsible for the safety of transporting children, their boarding and disembarking in designated areas. Problems with early departure of children were solved by purchasing not only large school buses, but also Gazelles. Although, of course, the issue of early departure has not been completely resolved, we continue to work in this direction.
There is also a problem that many teachers travel to rural areas from district centers. I am convinced that a teacher should live on-site, because pedagogical activity includes educational work, which a teacher must engage in continuously today. And we have schools where practically 100% of teachers live in the city and commute to rural areas for work. They are dependent on transportation, which consequently raises issues in the organization of the educational process.
– Will optimization lead to an excessive increase in the number of students in classes?
– We are looking for ways to reasonably fill classes. I will say right away that this issue will not arise in rural and district schools. For example, we still have basic schools with 20 students. And there are more than 100 students, for instance, at the Luzhkovskaya Secondary School in the Sharkovshchinsky district. But it should be understood that even here, a large percentage of children are brought from nearby settlements.
Decisions on closing educational institutions are made locally, thoughtfully and cautiously. When optimizing schools, the prospects for the economic development of a specific region are thoroughly calculated and considered, which affects the influx of staff and, therefore, new residents with children.
– How is the issue of teacher employment resolved after the closure or reorganization of educational institutions?
– I emphasize that when a school is closed, we обязательно look for employment options not only for teachers but also for support staff. Another issue is that not everyone agrees to the proposed options. And while we strive to offer teachers work in their field, it is probably a bit easier for support staff in this regard, as they can find employment in other areas. Again, the legislation provides that specialists who are not satisfied with the offered work have the right to monetary compensation upon dismissal.
In the new academic year, the education system of the Vitebsk region will be joined by about 600 young teachers who will be provided with their first place of work in the region's educational institutions.
– Will the empty buildings be given a second life?
– This is the most painful issue. We put all vacant properties up for auction, but not all of them are in demand. We are definitely considering options for involving them in economic circulation. Of course, if a school stands without heating for several years, the building falls into disrepair. And this leads to a number of new problems.
– Is there currently a trend of increasing or decreasing the number of children?
– It is gratifying that the number of children in kindergartens is increasing, I will clarify that this applies only to urban preschool institutions. There are 527 educational institutions in the region implementing the educational program of preschool education.
Over the past five years, the number of children attending kindergartens has increased by 1840 people.
– Thank you for the interview!