SCHOOL PROTESTS IN POLAND: A LESSON FOR UKRAINE

Photo: gloswielkopolski.pl

While Ukraine’s media field is filled with crimson and green colours, and the society is focused on the historically unparalleled presidential race, there are events outside the borders of Ukraine that require attention. One of such events is the nationwide teachers’ strike in Poland. Why the strike of Polish teachers is important for Ukraine?

While in Poland there was a school reform, Ukraine also had own reform. And if we will be critical in evaluating both reforms, they will have a lot in common: hastiness, pressure, inconsistency with key objects. And the result of this is discontent. But in Ukraine, besides all that, the average salary of the qualified school teacher is half of the salary of the teacher trainee in Poland, and the level of the general minimum official wage is four times lower. In both countries, election campaigns overlap each other. Thus the logical question arises: why in Poland they started protests and national strike, and in Ukraine – not? The answer to this question is on the surface: Ukrainian trade unions are more bogus organizations than real representatives of workers’ interests.