Education Ombudsman: The right to repeat a grade is perceived negatively due to Soviet upbringing

Schools in Ukraine may be granted the right to retain students for the second year of study, but the discussion is still ongoing. Education Ombudsman Nadiya Leshchyk noted on Kyiv24 that such a practice is common abroad; in addition, this initiative will apply to a small number of students, UNN reports .

Details

If Ukrainian schools are granted the right to retain students of all grades for the second year of study, this opportunity should be seen as a help for children and parents. 

Sometimes teachers see that it is better for a child to go through the training again. Because if they don't master such global subjects as math, they won't be able to understand them. When they move to the next grade, they won't understand math, algebra, and geometry. This whole subject will be dropped in the next grades. There will be huge educational losses.

How will this be determined? This will be discussed. This is just an idea for discussion,” the ombudsman said.

According to the official, teachers support this need, but there is an ongoing discussion because not all parents are in favor.

Nadiia Leshchyk reminded that there is a similar practice abroad.  

I would note that since Soviet times, there has been a stigma that if you stay for the second year of study, it is a punishment for parents, for students, that the child is not like that. Abroad, on the contrary, it is perceived as helping the child, and nothing is wrong with that. In Ukraine, we still have the consequences of Soviet education. 

Recall

Nadiya Leshchyk proposed to allow schools to retain students for the second year of study without parental consent. The proposal applies to cases of low academic performance and long absences.

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