The Parliament considered a number of budget laws directly related to the field of education. Namely, the most sensitive issues: salary, scholarship provision, financing of vocational and technical and general educational institutions. In particular, the parliament adopted draft law No. 5130 "On amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine" by 227 votes as a basis and as a whole, and draft law No. 5131 "On amendments to the Budget Code of Ukraine" by 229 votes as a basis.
Regarding salary and stipend
On the same day, the specialized parliamentary committee recommended rejecting bill No. 5130. Trade unions also opposed its adoption. Students organized a flash mob on social networks and also created an electronic petition.
Therefore, this law foresees, in particular, changes in the legislation on wages, as well as reforming the scholarship provision. For example, the norm, according to which allowances, additional payments and compensation payments are not included in the minimum wage, is removed. According to the decision of the committee with reference to the branch trade union, according to such a mechanism of remuneration of pedagogical workers, some of them may have their seniority allowance, promotion for teaching ranks, payment for performing pedagogical work above the norm, etc.
Also, the law adopted by the parliament amends Part 18 of Article 37 of the Law of Ukraine "On Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activities", which extends until December 31, 2017 the limitation on the awarding of pensions to scientific workers and its limitation to working pensioners in the amount of 85 percent of the appointed amount.
Higher education institutions of the 1st level of accreditation, which by August 1, 2017 did not receive a license for the preparation of a bachelor's degree, according to the law, will be assigned to the system of professional and technical education.
Regarding the financing of schools and vocational training
One of the key innovations involving changes to the Budget Code is "hybrid" financing of educational institutions, in particular vocational training centers and schools.
As for VET, it is proposed to include expenses for the payment of services for the training of qualified workers under the conditions of a state order in VET for professions of national importance, the list of which is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as providing general education training in institutions. In general, as Roman Yermolychev noted, such support is included in the draft state budget in the amount of about 2.2 billion hryvnias. The rest of the expenses will be provided by regional budgets, as well as the budgets of cities and regional centers. According to Volodymyr Kovtunets, thanks to such steps, the problems of VET that arose this year will be solved.
