COVID-19 and education in Ukraine: Responses from the authorities and opinions of educators

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, which struck the world in 2020, has hit education systems around the world. The world community has begun searching for and testing models for organising the educational process in a new reality. The purpose of this study was to analyse how the education system in Ukraine is functioning under the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical framework for considering the research problem is based on the theory of synergetics. Such synergetic postulates as openness, evolution, dynamics, bifurcation point, interaction, self-organisation, irreversibility and new state are key guidelines for understanding the processes taking place in Ukrainian education. A qualitative research approach was used to guide the study. The research methods included the review of the governmental documents, review of the surveys and interviews. The major finding is that the COVID-19 pandemic is transforming the education system in Ukraine and many changes are positive. This includes the long-awaited autonomy of educational institutions, the opportunity to acquire digital skills by educators, strengthening cooperation with regional and local authorities and updates to the overloaded curriculum. The Ukrainian authorities, the pedagogical community and society are working together to organise education under new conditions. However, Ukrainian education faces serious challenges (partly inadequate Internet access in homes, especially in rural areas; lack of educators’ online instruction skills; few official methodological guidelines and online textbooks and low levels of motivation of students to participate in online sessions). The findings thus revealed the importance of a national strategy for the development of education, considering the recommendations of the international organisations and the experience of foreign countries.