The Minister agreed to lobby for the interests of Transcarpathia

The Minister of Education Serhiy Kvit on Friday, May 1, in the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration met with the head of the region Vasyl Hubal, the press service of the RSA informed. Together with the rector of UzhNU Volodymyr Smolanka and the Head of Education and Science Department of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration Mykhailo Motylchak, they discussed the most current topics of the country and the region, not limited to issues of educational institutions.

During the meeting, they were talking not only about the matters of education, school system and universities, but also about the situation in the country in general, including in the East.     

The head of the Regional State Administration told the Minister about the campaign, which he had announced in Transcarpathia – "Entry without a bribe." It is aimed to ensure equal access to education in universities of 1-2 accreditation levels.   He instructed to open a telephone hotline on combating corruption, where students and parents can report the facts of extortion, etc.   

As for the topic of professional education, Serhiy Kvit announced that they are developing a draft law providing for the establishment of a new type of institution. It will be a multi-discipline regional center for vocational training (similar to the Dutch model). Also it is proposed to establish a board at such institutions, which will include local officials, educators, business, employers who will be coordinating the work and determine priorities, including those on the development of specialties in view of the demands of the labor market in the region. Vasyl Hubal said that that certain steps regarding reforms in vocational education are being made in the region, since there is the lack of employees of needed specialties, and at the same time there is a problem of employment of graduates.  

Transcarpathia is close to Serhiy Kvit – he was born in Uzhgorod. So during the informal meeting with the Minister over a cup of Transcarpathian coffee, they discussed the situation in the region in general, problems and prospects of the region – from ecology to social sphere. During the talks with the head of the region, Serhiy Kvit expressed support for the actions of the regional authorities in education and reforms in general, and then expressed his readiness to be in a sense a "lobbyist" of Transcarpathia in the government – for the sake of changes for the better in the interests of the community.