The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES) plans to make changes to the State Standard of Primary Education, which remains a key document for the organization of education in grades 1-4. The reform must take into account the new challenges that arose in connection with the full-scale Russian invasion and adapt education to modern needs.
As Kateryna Molodyk, coordinator of the "Educational Content" direction of the Implementation Office of the "New Ukrainian School" reported, the working group is already working on updating the standard. The first results of this work are expected in March 2025.
The main purpose of the review is to update the wording and principles laid down in the 2018 standard in accordance with new educational requirements, in particular:
- Actualization of the goal of primary education : rethinking the main learning tasks for children of primary school age.
- Clarification of value orientations : focus on the formation of key competencies that correspond to today's conditions.
- Organization of learning outcomes : clear definition of mandatory educational outcomes for primary school students.
The updated standard will become the basis for creating new educational programs, textbooks and educational materials. The changes will affect integrated courses and approaches to teaching subjects in primary grades.
The reform is also aimed at ensuring closer integration of primary education standards with:
- State standard of basic secondary education (approved in 2020).
- State standard of specialized secondary education (approved in 2024).
The implementation of the key reform "New Ukrainian School" (NUS) has already changed approaches to education in primary grades. The winner of the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine 2024 Lesya Pavlyuk noted that the reform brought the following key changes:
- Focus on competences : training is focused on the development of critical thinking, teamwork and creativity.
- Integration of subjects : the use of an interdisciplinary approach in teaching.
- Modern teaching methods : involvement of game, interactive and project technologies.
- Individually oriented learning : taking into account the individual needs of each student.
The update of the State Standard of Primary Education will continue this reform, directing the educational system to adapt to new conditions and improve the quality of education.
