Review-of-the-Education-Sector-in-Ukraine-Moving-toward-Effectiveness-Equity-and-Efficiency-RESUME3

Abstract

Ukraine has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda with great potential to transform and reposition the education system as a driver for economic growth and social prosperity. The reforms introduced following the Euromaidan Revolution have generated great optimism by decentralizing and democratizing the education system, while laying the foundations for greater alignment and integration with European norms and standards in education. Despite Ukraine's impressive foundations in and history of education, the system appears misaligned with the changing needs of the economy and the population. Skills demanded by the expanding sectors of the economy are different than those supplied by the education system, and change has been slow. Despite high levels of educational attainment in Ukraine, human capital remains a small share of national wealth, suggesting disparities in quality and relevance of learning. Furthermore, the system remains inefficient and slow to adjust to the declining student-age population, which also allows equity gaps to persist. Although the ongoing reform agenda is moving in the right direction, systemic imbalances and the inertia of history threaten to undermine Ukraine's education reform agenda. This review identifies five priority areas for reform going forward related to vision, governance, financing, incentives, and information. Advancing the reform agenda while attending to these priority areas will help to ensure the transformation and modernization of the education system that Ukrainians want and deserve.