On August 28, Valentyna Yakubiv, rector of the Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University, took part in a professional meeting “Mountain Schools: Quality and Accessibility of Education in High-Mountain Communities.” The event brought together representatives of state institutions, local governments, heads of educational institutions, and educators to discuss topical issues of school development in high-mountain communities.
The organizers of the meeting were the State Education Quality Service of Ukraine and the Department of the State Education Quality Service in Ivano-Frankivsk region, headed by Lyuba Kasiyan.
The Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Andriy Butenko, Head of the State Education Quality Service of Ukraine Ruslan Hurak, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovations Serhiy Babak , as well as representatives of the educational, management and digital spheres, joined the professional dialogue.
Among the participants are the Director of the Department of Education, Science and Youth Policy of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration Viktor Kimakovych , Vice-Rector for Scientific and Methodological Work and Monitoring of Education Quality of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education Lyubov Shelemey , Deputy Head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization Ihor Mandar , and other representatives of the educational community.
During the meeting, the participants discussed the state of education in high-mountain communities, the results of monitoring studies and institutional audits, educational losses, the quality of education, the development of an inclusive environment, and the prospects for the further development of educational institutions .
Special attention was paid to the specifics of the functioning of mountain schools and the need to take into account the characteristics of high-mountain communities when forming and implementing state and regional educational policy.
For Carpathian University, this topic is of particular importance, as the university is an important educational and scientific center of the Carpathian region and actively interacts with secondary education institutions, communities, and education management bodies.
Valentyna Yakubiv noted the importance of open dialogue between state representatives, educators, communities, and higher education institutions, because it is precisely such interaction that makes it possible to jointly develop solutions to ensure high-quality and accessible education regardless of the students’ place of residence.
The participation of the rector of Carpathian University in such a professional discussion was an opportunity to join in forming a common vision for the development of education in high-mountain communities, exchange experiences, and outline prospects for further cooperation with representatives of the educational sphere.
Quality education should be accessible to every child, regardless of whether they study in a big city or a small highland community. Ensuring equal educational opportunities is an important prerequisite for the development of communities and the future of Ukraine.
