How Ukraine failed to modernize technical schools: only 6 out of 88 institutions are working
21 August 12:48
Ukraine has received 549 million hryvnias from the Ukraine Facility for modernization of vocational institutions, but the result was disastrous – only 6 out of 88 planned training and practical centers (TPCs) are actually functioning. This is evidenced by the results of the audit of the State Audit Service, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
What was planned and what happened
The idea was attractive: to create modern training and practical centers that would not only train skilled workers, but also become bases for retraining of resettled, veterans and unemployed in the conditions of post-war reconstruction. The project was implemented as part of the Ukraine Plan under an agreement with the European Union.
The reality turned out to be brutal: out of half a billion hryvnias of European funds, the result was less than 7% of working institutions.
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Systemic failures at all levels
The auditors found a number of critical shortcomings:
- Ineffective planning and management. The Ministry of Education and Science was unable to organize proper control over the project implementation.
- Violation of co-financing conditions. Institutions failed to fulfill their obligations for additional funding.
- Infrastructural unpreparedness. Many technical schools were unprepared for the introduction of modern equipment.
- The audit revealed a systemic corruption problem, when several contractors divided among themselves the supply of equipment for dozens of institutions across Ukraine, which led to a massive failure to fulfill contractual obligations.
Scandalous cases of misappropriation of funds
Among the most striking examples of waste:
- Soviet know-how for European money. In Zaporizhzhya Polytechnic Center for more than 500 thousand hryvnias they purchased analog equipment manufactured back in 1986-1987 in the USSR.
- Ghost equipment. For the amount of 5.68 million hryvnias they purchased equipment that remained with suppliers and did not reach educational institutions.
- Undelivered and defective equipment. In Cherkassy region contractors underdelivered equipment for 616 thousand hryvnias, and what they brought for 275 thousand hryvnias did not correspond to the contract.
- Makeup artists instead of builders. In Zaporizhzhya, European aid funds were used to train hairdressers, manicurists and makeup artists. At the same time, according to the OBA, the region, which is constantly being shelled, is in dire need of working professions – builders, fitters, electricians.
Consequences of failure
In fact, Ukraine missed a unique opportunity to create a modern system of vocational education at the expense of European funds. Instead of trained specialists for the reconstruction of the country we got warehouses of unnecessary equipment and another corruption scandal.
The cost of the failure: 549 million hryvnias of European funds.
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