Scandalous order of the Ministry of Education and Science No. 1112: educators demand cancellation, Lisovyi is ready to compromise
17 April 18:35
The Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi promised to consider amending the scandalous order of the Ministry of Education and Science No. 1112. He said this today during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
What is the order of the Ministry of Education and Science No. 1112 about?
We are talking about the order of the Ministry of Education and Science “On Approval of the Procedure and Conditions for Obtaining General Secondary Education in Municipal General Secondary Education Institutions under Martial Law in Ukraine,” which was registered by the Ministry of Justice on August 8, 2024, under the number 1222/42567.
The document defines in which cases education can take place in person, when it is allowed to use a mixed or distance form, and what happens in case of school closure.
The Ministry of Education and Science has decided that full-time or blended learning is possible only if there are accessible and suitable shelters in or near the educational institution (at a distance of no more than 500 meters). Another prerequisite is the availability of sufficient material and technical resources. At the same time, in ten border and frontline regions, the resumption of full-time or mixed education requires an additional decision of the military administration and the school’s pedagogical council.
If an educational institution does not meet these requirements, it must switch to distance learning. For this purpose, distance classes must be created, the composition of which is determined depending on the number of students and levels of education. Separate conditions are provided for children who are abroad and study simultaneously in Ukrainian and foreign schools – a simplified educational program is in effect for them.
The procedure also regulates education for children who remain in the temporarily occupied territories. They can continue their education in remote classes or on an individual basis, including through family education or pedagogical patronage.
If none of the educational institutions in the community can operate, the regional or Kyiv city military administration should identify one institution that will provide distance learning for students of the entire community. If there are too few students to create a full-fledged class, it can be formed even without meeting the standard requirements for the number of children.
The law also provides for a mechanism to close schools that cannot function due to lack of conditions. In this case, students will be transferred to other educational institutions, and employees may be declared idle or offered transfer to other schools.
These rules will take effect from the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year.
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What outraged teachers
The Procedure also regulates the situation with children who have changed their place of residence due to the war. From now on, they must receive education at the new place of residence, not at the place of previous registration.
If the educational institution where the child previously studied has ceased operations, the student must be transferred to another school that is functioning.
If a child is not enrolled in any educational institution within ten working days, he or she is considered out of school, and the relevant authorities must search for him or her and ensure his or her return to the educational process.
In cases where parents do not apply for the transfer of a child from a school located on the temporarily occupied territory, the decision to transfer the child is made by the regional or Kyiv city military administration.
It is the mandatory provision on education at the child’s place of residence that has outraged educators. They fear that this will lead to a massive reduction in the number of teachers in the regions where the children have left. After all, the subvention provided for these children will now be transferred to the respective regions of their residence.
Therefore, educators believe that the order of the Ministry of Education and Science No. 1112 will lead to the mass liquidation of schools in the frontline areas and to massive dismissals of teachers.
In addition, critics of the order emphasize that it violates the rights of parents to choose an educational institution for their children.
The Minister promised to look into it
Eight months after the order was passed, the situation was investigated in the Verkhovna Rada, where Minister Lisovyi was summoned. From the parliamentary rostrum, he promised to study the document in depth within two weeks.
“People’s Deputy Pavlo Sushko and I had a rather lengthy meeting, and we had several meetings with Ms. Iryna Vereshchuk. We agreed that we would take two weeks to make certain decisions that would mitigate the situation for the frontline and border communities. We understand the complexity of its implementation, so we are ready to look for compromise solutions. First, we want to avoid losing teachers and closing schools. Secondly, we want to help children return to full-time education, and where this is not possible, we want to provide high-quality online learning. Therefore, we have been working for two weeks, coming up with solutions, as promised,”
– said Oksen Lisovyi.
This statement shows that he is more inclined to find a compromise on the fate of teachers in frontline and border communities, but is not inclined to consider distance learning a normal practice.
Positions
The most radical position, voiced by MP Pavlo Sushko, among others, is that the order should simply be canceled. This can be easily done by the Minister of Justice Olga Stefanishyna.
“Our position is unequivocal – it must be canceled, the registration of this order must be canceled. I have drawn up an appeal to the Prime Minister of Ukraine asking him to give a direct instruction to Olga Stefanishyna, the Minister of Justice of Ukraine, to cancel the registration of this order, which is illegal. This appeal has already been signed by 50 MPs, and I am sure that more will sign it,”
– pavlo Sushko said during a video link from the parliament.
The same is demanded by the educational community. They believe that the consequences of the order will be catastrophic.
“Most of the participants of the meeting supported the position on the need to cancel the order of the Ministry of Education and Science No. 1112 as one that restricts the rights of participants in the educational process in Ukraine,”
– said the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine after a large meeting attended by educators, government officials, trade union leaders and activists.
So, in two weeks, educators, students and their parents are waiting for the Ministry of Education and Science to make a decision on the scandalous order. Preferably, a decision to cancel it.
