ARTICLES THETHE PROBLEMSPROBLEMS OFOF EDUCATIONEDUCATION ININ THETHE PROGRAMMESPROGRAMMES OFOF THETHE PARTIESPARTIES REPRESENTEDREPRESENTED ININ PARLIAMENTPARLIAMENT ²gor ZHDANOV, Director, Political and Legal Serhiy SHANGHIN, Programmes, Leading Expert, Razumkov Centre Razumkov Centre ursuant to Article 92 of the Constitution of Ukraine, Parliament passes laws that lay down the fundamentals Pof regulation of education and science, approves the state budget of Ukraine, including education expenditures, and exercises parliamentary control. Hence, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine possesses rather broad powers for formulating and implementing of the state policy in the sphere of education. This article analyses the programmes of 22 political parties that ether on their own or within blocs have overcome the 4-% barrier and are represented in the Verkhovna Rada of the 4th convocation1. Naturally, election programmes did not pay sufficient attention to the issues of education for various, sometimes, quite serious reasons2. Therefore, we have analysed long-term party documents (Table Issues of education in the programmes of the parties represented in Parliament). The survey was performed in order to examine the possibility of legislative changes in the sphere of education. Fundamentals of state policy On the other, right wing, this position is backed by in the sphere of education the Peoples Rukh of Ukraine, which believes that edu- cation and upbringing should be organised in strict com- It is noteworthy that some political parties, in their pliance with the political, economic and cultural inter- party documents, give priority not to the interests of the ests of our state. The NDP makes emphasis, inter alia, individual but to national (state) interests in the sphere on the needs of the regions. of education. For example, the programme of the SDPU(u) stresses that the system of education should CPU, Ukrainian Peoples Rukh, Sobor and ChPU develop with account of the state and national interests are sure that progress in the sphere of education should in pursuance of the social order for upbringing citizens be a priority of the state policy. USDP views a high of a free democratic society. educational level of citizens as a precondition of the 1 The following abbreviations are used throughout the text: APU Agrarian Party of Ukraine; Batkivshchyna All-Ukrainian Association Batkivshchyna; FU Party Forward, Ukraine!; CPU Communist Party of Ukraine; CUN Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists; LPU Liberal Party of Ukraine; YPU Youth Party of Ukraine; NDP Peoples Democratic Party; NRU Peoples Rukh of Ukraine; PIEU Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Ukraine; PR Party of the Regions; R&O Party Reforms and Order; RCP Republican Christian Party; SDPU(u) Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united); Sobor Ukrainian Peoples Party Sobor; Solidarity Party Solidarity; SPU Socialist Party of Ukraine; LU Party Labour Ukraine; UNR Ukrainian Peoples Rukh; URP Ukrainian Republican Party; USDP Ukrainian Social Democratic Party; ChPU Party Christian Peoples Union. CPU, SPU and SDPU(u) overcame the barrier on their own. Viktor Yushchenkos Bloc Our Ukraine brought to Parliament ten parties: FU, CUN, LPU, YPU, NRU, R&O, RCP, Solidarity, UNR, ChPU. Election bloc For a United Ukraine! brought together five parties: APU, NDP, PIEU, PR, LU. Yuliya Tymoshenkos Bloc united four parties: Batkivshchyna, Sobor, URP, USDP. Sobor and URP have recently announced their merger, but the process is not yet completed. 2 Given the legislative limitation of the size of election programmes (7,800 characters), they deal only with basic principles of state policy in the field of edu- cation. RAZUMKOV CENTRE l NATIONAL SECURITY & DEFENCE l No.4, 2002 l 47 4 8 ISSUES OF EDUCATION IN THE PROGRAMMES OF THE PARTIES REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT l Party name - party leader Fundamentals of state policy Funding of education and raising - date of the programme Accessibility of education Priorities of education reform in the sphere of education the social status of teachers RAZUMKOV CENTRE adoption 1. Viktor YUSHCHENKOs Bloc OUR UKRAINE. Leader Viktor YUSHCHENKO Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists v Reform of legislation and creation of v Provision of priority budget funding of v Attention to the system of primary mili- Leader Yaroslava Stetsko a new regulatory base for national educa- education in the forthcoming years, its refor- tary training with employment of teacher- Programme approved on 28.06.1998, tion. mation on the sufficient level and with suffi- officers Ukrainian patriots, and to sports reaffirmed 26.11.2000 v Balancing of national and international cient remuneration of labour of pedagogues. and patriotic upbringing of the youth. programme components in the educational v Improvement of co-operation of educa- v Specialisation of establishments of mana- process. tional establishments among themselves gerial education on the basis of the branch v Development of methods of formation and with financial institutions. and functional management needs. l of national consciousness, culture and fun- v Mastering of methods of feedback and NATIONAL SECURITY & DEFENCE damentals of Christian morality. interaction with graduates of higher educa- v Development of a scientific-methodical tional establishments. THE PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION IN THE PROGRAMMES OF THE PARTIES foundation for national-patriotic education v Resolution of problems arising in connec- on the basis of H.Vashchenkos concept of tion with accreditation and certification of national education. non-governmental educational establishments v Eliminating the deficit of nationally (national and international). oriented educational personnel. Renewal of v Creation of a single information space teaching staff at higher pedagogical for higher educational establishments using schools by employing nationally oriented up-to-date communication systems. university scholars and professors in peda- gogical activity. v Liquidation of the lag in the develop- ment of Ukrainian educational and upbring- ing institutions of all levels in regions and areas where the rights of the Ukrainian pop- ulation are discriminated. l No.4, 2002 Liberal Party of Ukraine v Elimination of bureaucratic pressure by v Enhancing material and technical sup- v Preservation and expansion of the existing v Preservation and expansion of the exist- Leader Volodymyr Shcherban the authorities on educational establish- port for general education schools, voca- system of preschool education of children. ing form of preschool upbringing of children. Programme approved on 19.12.1998 ments, removal of administrative-command tional schools and colleges; material sup- v Creation of equal conditions for educa- v Expansion of independence of higher functions from management of humanitari- port for preschool establishments and tional establishments of all forms. educational establishments in specialisation, an issues. development of their alternative forms. organisation of the educational process, v Furtherance of international v Creation of a multi-channel system of training of the professor corps, appointment co-operation, application of up-to-date funding of higher educational establish- of graduates and training of entrants, industrial and social technologies, youth ments. strengthening of the scientific base, interna- study abroad. v Raising the level of remuneration of tional and inter-university contacts. labour and social welfare of teachers. v Creation of an effective system of exchange of knowledge with developed countries of the world. v Expansion of participation of Ukrainian representatives in international festivals, con- tests, conferences, competitions, etc. Youth Party of Ukraine v Guaranteed free public education. Leader Yuriy Pavlenko Programme approved on 24.04.1999 THE PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION IN THE PROGRAMMES OF THE PARTIES Peoples Rukh of Ukraine v Organisation of education and upbringing v Provision of full-fledged, not last in line v Accessibility of education for all citi- v Restoration and development of a net- Leader Hennadiy Udovenko in strict compliance with the political, eco- budget funding of state and municipal edu- zens, irrespective of their social origin and work of public preschool educational and Programme (new edition) nomic and cultural interests of our state. cational establishments, their supply with status, nationality, ideological convictions upbringing establishments, including those approved on 6.05.2001 v Providing for education development on up-to-date training technologies and equip- and place of residence. working pursuant to authors methods and the basis of the principles of accessibility ment. family-type orphan asylums. and obligation. v Establishment of a decent level of salaries v Variability of the traditional system of for pedagogical, scientific-pedagogical and educational establishments, state encour- scientific personnel and unconditional obser- agement of the network of private educa- vance of that level by the executive branch. tional establishments. Party Forward, Ukraine! v Perfection of the system of education. v Provision of state guarantees for secon- Leader Volodymyr Musiyaka v Disavowal mechanical reduction of pub- dary vocational and higher education. Programme approved on 6.02.1999 lic educational and upbringing institutions. RAZUMKOV CENTRE Party Reforms and Order v Establishment of special budget v Combination of free and paid education v Gradual transition to a system of