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What Can a Hungry Teacher Teach an Underfed Schoolchild? 

19 January, 00:00

Ukrainian schools have started their spring terms. What in fact remained unnoticed by journalists and the public against the backdrop of New Year celebrations and concurrent festive commotion was a desperate action by school teachers in Buchatsky district, Ternopil oblast. Hungry and poorly clothed, they had come to Kyiv from the hinterland to picket in front of the Presidential Administration building, i.e., the seat of the President of a country that keeps hungry both teachers and their alumni.

On December 24 four schoolteachers in Buchatsky district went on a hunger strike until their salary arrears were paid in full. In a week's time the number of the desperate protesters rose to twelve. Five were rushed to an emergency hospital in the third week of the protest. The picket in front of the Presidential Administration was brief because of the cold. The teachers returned to their district hoping they will be able to draw the President's attention to their problems during his planned visit to Ternopil.

The Chief Executive did visit Ternopil on January 10, but the teachers failed to see him due to late notice. The Day learned that Leonid Kuchma promised to repay the sufferers their arrears as early as the first quarter. However, Ukrainian teachers have already heard such promises before.

Meanwhile, the situation in Ukrainian education is catastrophic, said Viktor Ohnevyuk, Chief of the Ministry of Education's Secondary Education General Directorate in a telephone conversation with The Day's Inna ZOLOTUKHINA, citing facts that characterize the teacher's current situation in society and of education in general.

As of January 6 this year, total Ukrainian teacher salary arrears reached 442 million hryvnias. The worst situation is in Kirovohrad, Ivano-Frankivsk, Volyn, Chernihiv, and Ternopil oblasts, where total pay arrears in 1996-1998 ran to 8.5-9 months, even more in some outlying districts.

Extremely low monthly salaries of 130-150 hryvnias ($36-42 US) deter graduates of teachers' colleges from embarking on a teaching career.

The absence of an infusion of young teachers has led to a situation when most Ukrainian schools are staffed by elderly ones, and over 2000 teachers have undergone no specialized teaching training.

Newspaper output №:

№1, (1999)

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