Reconstruction of educational infrastructure is not just about construction work, but also about new approaches to transparency, accountability and the responsible use of budget funds. How these approaches work in practice and what results have already been achieved, Allan Pagh Kristensen, Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI), presented during the annual educational conference Serpneva held on 21 August in Kyiv.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. It brought together educators, government officials, administrators, as well as international and civil society organisations — everyone involved in shaping the modern education system in Ukraine.
Last May, the EUACI in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the School Nutrition Reform Team established the first integrity-based model for the monitoring of the state subvention for the modernisation of the school canteens. The main goal is to minimize corruption, technical and technological risks of design and estimate documentation in the reconstruction projects.
‘When you have the same values in the construction of schools and canteens as you would like are those values to be taught in the classroom – transparency, integrity and anti-corruption – somehow, it’s a good match for a holistic approach to these values. The results of our work can be replicated and the concept we have developed can be used by others as it has already proven its effectiveness,’ the EUACI Head highlighted.
As of today, the construction of 69 canteens has been completed in various cities across Ukraine within the 2024 state subvention. The processes in others are ongoing as is the monitoring of the fund’s expenses.
Find out more how to minimise risks in public investment projects (link to study-case) https://cutt.ly/trFe3UhG
