Andrei Alekhin focused on the main results and current issues of all levels of education.

New state educational standards for primary general, basic general and secondary general education were approved in July 2018.

21,287 students successfully completed training and received education documents in the system of general secondary education in 2018. Certificates of basic general education received 12 889 people, of whom 693 – with honours. Certificates of secondary general education received 8 469 people, of whom 426 – with honours. 426 graduates of 11th grades were awarded with a gold medal “For Special Achievements in Studying”, 201 graduates – with a silver medal. In the 2017-2018 academic year, 233 students of the Republic took part in the international subject Olympiads, 58% became winners and prize-winners (194 prizes).

In the field of preschool education, 3 institutions in Yenakiyevo, Kirovsky, and Debaltsevo resumed operation this year. In addition, in preschool educational institutions, 12 groups are additionally opened. 53,748 children receive pre-school education, including 52,413 in urban areas (97.5%) and 1,335 children in rural areas (2.5%). Compared to the last academic year, the coverage of children from 1.5 to 7 years has increased by 6.6%. Today it is 69.6% of the total number of children of preschool age.

In 2018, 21 164 preschoolers receive additional knowledge of ecological, valeological, artistic, aesthetic, physical culture, humanitarian, and lego-technologies. A new state educational standard for pre-school education has been approved and a standard educational program for pre-school education “Growing Personality” has been updated to reflect this standard.

Speaking about the development of special education, the representative of the Ministry of Education and Science noted that since September 1, 2018, special classes were opened in Donetsk for the first time to teach children with pathology of vision on the basis of Donetsk Special Secondary Boarding School No. 19.

As part of the Humanitarian program for the reunification of the people of Donbass in 2018, 39 children from the territory of the Donetsk region temporarily controlled by Ukraine (1.6%) study at special educational organizations, of which 11 people were enrolled from September 1, 2018.

On November 7, 2018, the State Institution “Republican Health Center” was resumed, which is located in the town of Snezhnoye. During November-December 2018, 176 orphans and children deprived of parental care improved their health there.

This academic year in the Donetsk People's Republic, the possibility of obtaining additional education is provided by 79 institutions of additional education, of which 8 institutions are in republican ownership; 71 institutions – in municipal ownership. The network of institutions of additional education that are included in the system of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Donetsk People's Republic consists of 37 houses, palaces, centers of children's and youth creativity, 10 stations of technical creativity, 3 centers of tourism and local history, 7 ecological and naturalistic centers, the Junior Academy of Sciences, 20 youth sports schools, Enakievsky State Aviation Technical Sports Club. 87,346 people between the ages of 4 and 18 are covered by additional education (59,850 in institutions of additional education, 27,496 in general education organizations), which is 64% of the total number of students.

As part of the reform of the system of additional education of children and the Humanitarian program for the reunification of the people of Donbass in the 2017-2018 academic year, the Ministry of Education and Science held more than 130 events at the republican level, in which over 42,000 children took part.

Also, the Director of the Department enlarged upon the field of secondary vocational education, noting that in June 2018, 8,811 students acquired the professions of workers, employees and specialties of middle-level specialists.

Educational institutions of secondary vocational education fulfilled 93% of target admission levels. In the framework of the Humanitarian program for the reunification of the people of Donbass, 100 students were accepted for training, another 72 people were accepted according to the allocated quota (15 soldiers, 43 citizens of the Russian Federation, 20 citizens of the Lugansk People’s Republic, 9 citizens of Ukraine).

This year, new professions and specialties are opened: “Advertising”, “Special pre-school education”, “Pedagogy of additional education”, “Agronomy”, “Veterinary medicine”, “Pressure metal forming”, “Turner-universal”.

During 2018, changes were made in 12 state educational standards of secondary vocational education in the professions of workers, employees and specialties of middle-level specialists.

The Republic held various events including the republican competitions of professional skills among students “Young professionals” or “Step into the profession” on competences in the WORLDSKILLS format: “Cooking”, “Welding technologies”, “Dry construction and plastering”, “ Hairdressing "," Preschool education "," Teaching in lower secondary school".

The citizens, who are living on the territory of the Donbass temporarily under control of Ukraine, are being constantly informed about educational opportunities in educational organizations of the DPR. In order to fulfill the tasks of training workers, increasing the prestige of working professions, and also as part of the Humanitarian program for the reunification of the people of Donbass, the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science carried out the image project “We are waiting for you, countrymen!” (Two informational and analytical videos were prepared and published on the official website of the Ministry of Education and Science of the DPR, on websites of subordinate institutions, in social media).

According to the results of the admissions process in 2018, 14,655 people were enrolled at the Universities of the DPR. Admission quotas are fulfilled for 95%. Among the freshmen are 193 people enrolled as part of the Humanitarian program for the reunification of the people of Donbass.

The most popular fields of education are construction, pedagogical education, philology (Russian language and literature), medical sciences, computer and information technologies.

New fields of education have been opened: “Ground transportation and technological complexes” (Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture), “Foodstuffs of animal origin” (Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade named after M. Tugan-Baranovsky), “Slavonic philology” (Donetsk National University), “veterinary-sanitary inspection” (Donbass Academy of Agrarian Sciences).

Large-scale student events of international and republican levels were held. Thus, on January 24-25, the Donbass Youth Festival was held, which gathered more than a thousand people, including 10 people from various cities of the Russian Federation and 97 people from cities and districts of the territory of Donbass temporarily under control of Ukraine.

Since November 1, 2018, the state academic scholarship to students of educational institutions of higher professional education and secondary vocational education has been increased by 20%.

A draft roadmap has been developed to establish admission quotas for studies in programs of secondary vocational education, higher vocational education, and supplementary vocational education for 2019–2020.

Donetsk National Medical University of M. Gorky was the first of the universities of the DPR which has undergone accreditation in the Russian Federation. Also, a roadmap was developed for accreditation in the Russian Federation in 2019 by the Donbass National Academy of Construction and Architecture and the Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade named after Mikhail Tugan-Baranovsky.

Together with Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade and the Council for Social Partnership in Education under the Ministry of Education and Science, the XII International Scientific and Practical Conference "Actual problems and employment prospects of graduates of educational institutions of higher and secondary vocational education" was held and the concept of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Donetsk People's Republic on the employment of graduates of higher and secondary vocational education was presented.

Nowadays, 244 state educational standards of higher professional education have been approved.

Scientific activity is developing in the Republic. This year scientific degrees were awarded: Doctors of Sciences – 10 people, Candidate of Sciences – 60 people. Academic titles were conferred: professors – 1 person, associate professor – 44 people.

In addition, three dissertation councils were opened in seven scientific specialties (25 dissertation councils in 50 scientific specialties).

In 2018, the signature stamp “Approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Donetsk People’s Republic” was assigned to three manuals for elementary classes and one visual aid for basic military and medical training. The signature stamp “Recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Donetsk People’s Republic” was given to 6 training publications on higher professional education programs.

As Andrei Alekhin emphasized, international cooperation and integration into the educational and scientific space of the Russian Federation remain the most important priorities of the Ministry of Education and Science.

“The agreement was signed between the Government of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Council of Ministers of the Donetsk People’s Republic on the mutual recognition of education and (or) qualifications. The memorandum of cooperation was also signed between the Ministries of Education and Science of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic.

“The state educational institutions of higher professional education of the DPR have signed 37 international agreements on scientific, educational and cultural cooperation with educational organizations of the Russian Federation, the Lugansk People's Republic, and the Republic of Belarus,” – said Andrei Alekhin.

Representatives of state educational institutions of higher professional education of the DPR took part in 506 international scientific events in the Russian Federation (scientific and practical conferences, seminars, forums, congresses and other scientific events).

At the invitation of the Russian Federation, the children of the Republic visited summer camps and health centers. In October 14, pupils of the Donetsk boarding school No. 1 underwent rehabilitation in a children's sanatorium in Ryazan.