For the first time, a mechanism to monitor the involvement of students in the learning process has been put in place to prevent students from falling behind. The Ministry of Education and Science has enacted regulations requiring schools to respond in the event of a student not attending classes. Ultimately, the entire education system is involved in the process so that the teenagers do not fall behind at school.
The Ministry of Education and Science has been working on these regulations with the UNICEF International Adviser to the United Nations Children's Fund and UNESCO Education Researchers. The relevant document was based on their recommendations and international experience.
The regulations include several stages. In particular, according to the Minister's order, during the first stage, if the student is absent from school/class for 10 consecutive days, the class tutor is obliged to submit a written report to the school administration. The document will report the students’ absence over a 10-day period, while contacting legal representative, to determine the reason for the absence. However, according to the government decree, if due to any technical problems the student does not have access to the "TV School" and online education, the teacher is obliged to establish communication by any means necessary, including by telephone. Taking all these factors into account, the student is protected from suspension during the remote learning process.
After 20 consecutive missed school days, the process will involve the social workers cooperating with the class tutor, who are obliged to visit the family within 2 working days after receiving the information. Education social workers will work with the student and their legal representative to bring the student back into the learning process.
The education system will use all legal levers to involve the student in the learning process.
If the student still does not report to school, his/her student status will be temporarily suspended, however, the status can be restored upon the parents’ request
Until the changes took place, suspending the student status occurred only after the student had missed school for 90 consecutive days. Consequently, until now, the school had no legal obligation to take any necessary measures to return the student back to the education process. Additionally, if a student arrived at school at least once before the 90-day period threshold, they would be automatically re-enrolled.
The changes will help the education system to ensure that every student has a fundamental right to education.