The quality of educational services through the eyes of Lutsk residents

June 8 in Lutsk, the Center for Municipal Reforms "Lutsk-1432" presented the results of a sociological study "Quality of Educational Services through the Eyes of Lutsk Residents," which was conducted during March 2006 in the regional center within the framework of the project "Voice of the Public." The results of the study were presented by the head of the Center for Municipal Reforms "Lutsk-1432" Serhiy Adamchuk. Among those present were the deputy mayor for humanitarian affairs Anatoliy Parkhomyuk, the head of the Education Department of the Lutsk City Executive Committee Mykhailo Makhomed and school principals of the city.

The survey sample included 282 children and 188 parents of students from almost all schools in Lutsk. Lutsk residents assessed the level of educational services provided in the city's general education institutions, the introduction of modern teaching methods, the material and technical support of schools, the organization of extracurricular activities for students, etc. The initiators of the survey also did not bypass questions regarding the level of teachers' salaries, the "paid" nature of free services, and parents' agreement or disagreement with "informally" paying for their child's education.

The main results of the survey showed that 52.5% of surveyed high school students and 49.5% of surveyed parents consider the quality of educational services provided in the general education institutions of the city of Lutsk to be sufficient. 17% of students and 19.7% of parents call it high, 24.8% of high school students and 27.1% of parents rated the quality of education as average, and 5.6% of students and 3.7% of surveyed parents gave a rating of low and very low.

Slightly more than half of the surveyed students (56.7%) answered that they are involved in conducting research work; 39.4% said that they are sometimes involved; and only 2.1% of surveyed students are not involved in such activities.

Almost 44% of respondents are only partially satisfied with the general state of material and technical support for education, a third are fully satisfied, and about 23% of respondents are completely dissatisfied with such a state of affairs.

59.9% of surveyed students believe that conditions for self-realization have been created in Lutsk schools; 13.8% are confident that they have not been created; 26.2% of students were unable to answer. Among them, they named student self-governance (100.0%); sports sections (73.4%); amateur art groups (53.9%).

About 65% of respondents gave a positive assessment of cooperation between school administrations, student self-governance, and parent committees. Only 54.6% of surveyed students and 60.6% of parents believe that school administrations monitor the quality of teachers' conduct of classes; 4.6% and 3.2%, respectively, are confident that they do not monitor it.

Slightly more than half of the respondents gave a positive assessment of the system of medical care for students and the system of organizing their meals. A little more than 8% of respondents are dissatisfied with such a state of affairs.

32.3% of students and 45.2% of parents believe that the knowledge gained at school is sufficient for admission to higher education institutions; 44.7% and 31.9%, respectively, think that it is mostly sufficient; 19.5% of surveyed students and 18.1% of parents are convinced that this is not the case.

46.6% of respondents believe that state funds and material and technical resources in general education institutions are used effectively, 19.1% think they are partially effective, and 14.5% of respondents are convinced that they are not effective. About 19% of respondents did not answer this question.

71.3% of surveyed students and 79.8% of parents answered that in schools there is a paid nature of free services, and only 28.7% and 20.2%, respectively, do not think so. Lutsk residents named repairs (73.4%) and gifts for teachers (46.8% of high school students and 39.9% of parents) as the main expenditure items.

74.5% of surveyed parents are ready to pay for additional educational services, while 23.4% are not ready to do so. 2.1% of respondents found it difficult to answer. Mostly they are ready to spend up to UAH 50 per semester on their child's education (47.9%) and from UAH 50 to 200 (23.4%).