The forum «Educational Perspectives» took place in Odesa, gathering leaders and staff from educational institutions ranging from preschool to higher education, alongside representatives from state and local authorities.
The agenda focused on urgent issues needing attention to enhance the quality of educational services in the city.
Due to the ongoing war, the number of students in Odesa's schools has decreased, yet the workload on educators remains high, while salaries are inadequate. Currently, there are 474 job vacancies in educational institutions, highlighting a significant shortage of teachers, particularly in natural sciences.
Additional unremunerated responsibilities are also diminishing the prestige of the teaching profession, such as the accountability for managing "Points of Resilience" and shelters.
The introduction of a municipal allowance of 3000 UAH, which is nearly half a salary, has helped attract young specialists to schools, but the demand for such professionals remains high.
The average age of teachers in Odesa is 46 years. Additionally, the quality of training for future teachers poses a challenge due to rapidly changing curriculum requirements.
During the forum, Odesa's mayor, Hennadiy Trukhanov, instructed the head of the Education Department, Olena Buiyevych, to collaborate with financial experts to devise a system of municipal allowances for educational and technical staff.
Moreover, the mayor initiated a partnership with the Institute of Physics at Odesa National University named after I. Mechnikov to utilize its resources for teaching natural sciences to high school students.
«Our priorities today are clear: army, education, healthcare», – summarized Odesa's mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov.
