In the first classes, which will study according to the new standard of primary school from September 1, 2018, 8 educational centers should be organized, and their creation will be supported by the state with a special subsidy of almost 1 billion hryvnias. This was stated by the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Liliya Hrynevych, during the educational panel of the extended Government meeting in Vinnytsia.

How the new educational space in the New Ukrainian School should be organized was prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Culture in special methodological recommendations for school heads.

In particular, there should be the following 8 educational centers:

– educational and cognitive activities (with desks/tables)

– variable thematic cells (boards/flip charts/stands for diagrams with key ideas);

– games (board games, equipment for mobile games);

– artistic and creative activities (shelves for storing accessories and a stand for a changing exhibition of children's works);

– a living nature corner for conducting experiments (grain germination, observation and care of plants, aquarium);

– recreation (with a carpet for sitting and playing, chairs, pouf chairs, cushions with a soft cover);

- children's classroom library;

– the teacher's cell (table, chair, computer, shelves/drawers, cabinets for storing didactic material, etc.).

"Also, there are caveats in these guidelines regarding the safety, appearance and mobility of the equipment. Desks should be of a normal, non-eye-catching color, light and mobile for children to work in groups, non-traumatic, etc.," stressed Liliya Hrynevych.

She emphasized that creating conditions for children's education is the main authority of local authorities, but the state will support them on this path.

Within the framework of the Government meeting, the Ministry of Education and Culture also organized a visual exhibition of modern equipment for primary schools, so that representatives of local authorities, which are supposed to use the state subsidy, could understand how a classroom of a new school should look like.

"The main prerequisite for the success of the reform is productive, partnership cooperation between us, between the Government and local authorities. Each of us must do our significant part of the work, without which qualitative changes will not take place," Liliya Hrynevych emphasized.