CURRENT EDUCATIONAL REFORMS IN UKRAINE WITHIN THE FRAME OF PEDAGOGICAL REFLECTION

Abstract

The article reveals that current reforms in the education system of Ukraine attempt to address the latest social challenges and fulfil the priority tasks assigned by the legislative and executive branches of government, in particular, regarding improving the effectiveness of education in the settings of martial law and the changing dynamics of the spread of the coronavirus disease pandemic in the country. The study specified a list of requests and expectations of the state and civil society for reforms in the field of education, in particular, the Law of Ukraine ‘On Education’ (2017) viewed through the prism of the views of both now and future practising educators. Based on the opinions of the focus group participants regarding the key positions of the Conceptual basis for reforming secondary school to comply with the concept of the ‘New Ukrainian School’, the study carried out the ranking of respondents’ positions regarding the timeliness of educational innovations. It also identified those topics that require additional clarification, including decentralisation, the autonomy of institutions, reform implementation schedule, introducing the new school structure, etc. The research clarified the leading attitudes of educators, their needs and expectations regarding educational reforms in Ukraine, including: respect for the teacher, trust from the state and society; real academic freedoms (the right to choose the form of educational organization, educational technologies and teaching methods, etc.), pedagogical creativity; digitization of general secondary education; decent wages, adequate and transparent financing of educational institutions; debureaucratisation; real support by the state and society for rural schools and rural teachers, equal access to high-quality school and extracurricular education in the countryside; state assistance in training/retraining of personnel to implement reforms and changes in education, especially in wartime conditions.