Interagency meeting on children’s rights held in Ternopil
“The analysis of the activities of local education authorities makes it possible to identify strengths and weaknesses in ensuring the quality of education at the level of regions, districts, and communities. Over the past three years, we have processed an array of data that allows us to talk about typical violations and shortcomings in the work that negatively affect the observance of children’s educational rights. Only through synergy at the state-community-school level can we overcome them,” said Ivan YURIICHUK, Deputy Head of Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization at the State Service of Education Quality of Ukraine.
Vasyl LUTSYK, Head of the National Social Service of Ukraine, emphasized that ensuring the observance of children’s rights requires coordinated efforts of all government agencies. He also noted that every child has the right to safety, development, and care, so creating an effective control system to guarantee process transparency and prompt detection of violations is essential.
The meeting included group work on the following topics: “Typical violations of the law in the activities of special general secondary education institutions identified in the course of analyzing the activities of local education authorities”; “Ensuring equal access to education (organization of education for children with special educational needs in special schools, inclusive education)”; “The role of the National Social Service of Ukraine in monitoring the observance of children’s rights”; “Practice of interagency cooperation of the territorial body of the National Social Service of Ukraine.”
In particular, it is noted that the results of analyses of the activities of local education authorities revealed typical shortcomings and violations in the following areas:
- ensuring conditions for barrier-free access and quality education for persons with special educational needs;
- creation of an inclusive educational environment, universal design, and reasonable accommodation;
- implementation by the local authority of the rights and obligations of the founders of educational institutions in terms of organizing inclusive education as defined by law.
Many educational buildings still do not meet barrier-free access requirements, and funding and implementation of universal design are fragmented. In addition to limited material and technical support, there is a shortage of specialists to work with children with special educational needs, and thus, psychological, pedagogical, correctional, and developmental services are not fully provided.
The discussion was joined by Dmytro LUBINETS, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights; Tetiana SKRYPKA, Head of the Subcommittee on Family and Children’s Affairs of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy; Vasyl BOGDAN, Head of the Juvenile Prevention Department of the National Police of Ukraine; Pavlo ZHURBA, Deputy Head of the Ternopil Regional State (Military) Administration; Volodymyr MYSYK, Head of the Commission on Education, Science, Youth Policy, Physical Culture and Sports of the Ternopil Regional Council; Oksana DESIATNIUK, Rector of the Western Ukrainian National University, and community leaders.
As a result, the ways of cooperation in the course of state supervision (control) over the observance of children’s rights were outlined, in particular through the exchange of information, inspections, assessment of the social and educational environment, monitoring of the elimination of identified violations, and development of recommendations.
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“The analysis of the activities of local education authorities makes it possible to identify strengths and weaknesses in ensuring the quality of education at the level of regions, districts, and communities. Over the past three years, we have processed an array of data that allows us to talk about typical violations and shortcomings in the work that negatively affect the observance of children’s educational rights. Only through synergy at the state-community-school level can we overcome them,” said Ivan YURIICHUK, Deputy Head of Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization at the State Service of Education Quality of Ukraine.
Vasyl LUTSYK, Head of the National Social Service of Ukraine, emphasized that ensuring the observance of children’s rights requires coordinated efforts of all government agencies. He also noted that every child has the right to safety, development, and care, so creating an effective control system to guarantee process transparency and prompt detection of violations is essential.
The meeting included group work on the following topics: “Typical violations of the law in the activities of special general secondary education institutions identified in the course of analyzing the activities of local education authorities”; “Ensuring equal access to education (organization of education for children with special educational needs in special schools, inclusive education)”; “The role of the National Social Service of Ukraine in monitoring the observance of children’s rights”; “Practice of interagency cooperation of the territorial body of the National Social Service of Ukraine.”
In particular, it is noted that the results of analyses of the activities of local education authorities revealed typical shortcomings and violations in the following areas:
- ensuring conditions for barrier-free access and quality education for persons with special educational needs;
- creation of an inclusive educational environment, universal design, and reasonable accommodation;
- implementation by the local authority of the rights and obligations of the founders of educational institutions in terms of organizing inclusive education as defined by law.
Many educational buildings still do not meet barrier-free access requirements, and funding and implementation of universal design are fragmented. In addition to limited material and technical support, there is a shortage of specialists to work with children with special educational needs, and thus, psychological, pedagogical, correctional, and developmental services are not fully provided.
The discussion was joined by Dmytro LUBINETS, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights; Tetiana SKRYPKA, Head of the Subcommittee on Family and Children’s Affairs of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy; Vasyl BOGDAN, Head of the Juvenile Prevention Department of the National Police of Ukraine; Pavlo ZHURBA, Deputy Head of the Ternopil Regional State (Military) Administration; Volodymyr MYSYK, Head of the Commission on Education, Science, Youth Policy, Physical Culture and Sports of the Ternopil Regional Council; Oksana DESIATNIUK, Rector of the Western Ukrainian National University, and community leaders.
As a result, the ways of cooperation in the course of state supervision (control) over the observance of children’s rights were outlined, in particular through the exchange of information, inspections, assessment of the social and educational environment, monitoring of the elimination of identified violations, and development of recommendations.
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