Educational Dialogues in Odesa: New Challenges and Opportunities
The «Educational Dialogues in Odesa» forum gathered educational leaders and representatives of city authorities, covering all levels of education from preschool to higher education.
The primary focus was on pressing issues that require attention and collaborative efforts to enhance the quality of educational services.
Due to the war, the number of students in Odesa schools has decreased. However, the workload on educators remains high, while the salaries set by the state are low. Currently, there are 474 vacant positions in educational institutions (previously over 600). There is a notable shortage of teachers in natural sciences.
Additional responsibilities not covered by compensation also detract from the prestige of teaching, particularly the burden of organizing "Points of Invincibility" and shelters.
The introduction of a municipal supplement of 3000 hryvnias, which is nearly half a salary, has attracted young professionals to schools. However, the demand for such specialists remains high.
The average age of teachers in Odesa is 46 years.
Additionally, the quality of training for future teachers has become a challenge due to rapidly changing program requirements.
During the forum, Odesa's mayor, Hennadiy Trukhanov, tasked the head of the Department of Education and Science, Olena Buinevych, to work with financiers to develop a system of municipal supplements for educational and technical staff.
The mayor also instructed to establish a collaboration mechanism with the Institute of Physics of Odesa National University named after I. Mechnikov to utilize its resources for natural science lessons for high school students.
«Our priorities are clear: army – education – healthcare», – concluded Odesa's mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov.
