The Main Department for Education of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee became the best in the country in 2020
"One of the indicators of our region's education system is that our main department has been recognized as the best among regional departments by the Ministry of Education for the second year in a row. This is a merit not only of the main department but of the entire education system. The victories of students in republican and international competitions are the best confirmation. For the future, we are laying the foundation of our work on the educational aspect, particularly patriotic education. We will also focus on implementing new technologies, updating, developing, and supporting personnel. We will continue to develop the material and technical base. In 2020, despite certain difficulties, including the coronavirus pandemic, over Br35 million was spent on improving the material and technical base," noted Dmitry Khoma.
He added that the work was carried out in a targeted and focused manner. The head of the department cited Secondary School No. 1 in Shumilino as an example, where major repairs and modernization were carried out using funds from the regional budget. Another 4 schools in the region were transformed thanks to allocated credit resources.
Dmitry Khoma emphasized that career guidance work is of great importance in the field of education. In this regard, the Vitebsk region has something to be proud of: specialized classes, such as agricultural and pedagogical ones, operate in the region's schools, and in grades 7-9, elective courses with early career guidance are conducted. "Schoolchildren should receive the basics of the profession for which they will study at a university after receiving their certificate. We are working quite seriously on distributing applicant flows. In 2020, this allowed us to increase the percentage of university entrants and increase the enrollment in vocational education institutions by 10%, thus guiding young people towards acquiring working professions," emphasized the head of the main department for education.
In the upcoming five-year period, regional enterprises will be more actively involved in training specialists. It is planned to increase the number of targeted placements for young people from both rural and urban areas. In 2020, for example, 15% of targeted students were not enrolled. This year, norms will be developed for each district to allocate targeted placements for schoolchildren entering higher, secondary vocational, and vocational-technical education institutions.
Some educational institutions in the region joined this initiative even before the issue was discussed at the national level. The first results are already available in the Gluboksky district. "We cooperate with enterprises in our district, for which we train specialists on demand. These include the Gluboksky Dairy and Canning Plant, agricultural production cooperatives, the Gluboksky Feed Mill, and others. Enterprises from neighboring districts – Dokshitsky, Sharkovshchinsky, Miorsky – also approach us. We conclude targeted contracts with them. Managers have seen that this type of training is necessary, as it guarantees a supply of personnel. Previously, enterprises paid students an additional 2 base amounts to their scholarships, and now, by decision of the regional executive committee, they will pay 4. This is a significant increase for students in rural areas," said Vasily Lyuboza, Director of the Gluboksky State Vocational Lyceum, which primarily trains specialists for the agricultural sector.