Distance education in general secondary education in Ukraine: availability and efficiency in a pandemic

The article provides an analytical review of the current state of ensuring the availability of general secondary education in the process of implementing distance learning in a pandemic due to the spread of COVID-19. Based on the generalization of the state statistics data of Ukraine, the results of numerous surveys of participants in the educational process, empirical studies of foreign scientists, a set of prerequisites necessary to ensure the implementation of the constitutional right to education, including general secondary, provided in a distance form, was found and reasonably. Among them: the availability of the necessary technical equipment for students and teachers, free and equal access to high-quality and reliable Internet communications; a sufficient level of digital literacy of participants in the educational process; availability of an electronic educational environment adapted to the needs of teachers and students and high-quality methodical support for conducting online classes. It was revealed that there are significant restrictions common for most countries of the world in the possibilities of attracting people from rural areas to distance learning during a pandemic, children from families with two or more children, as well as those who do not have a personal computer or laptop for personal use, as well as older teachers. The need to restore in Ukraine a system for monitoring the quality of education with a branched territorial structure due to the lack of representative information on topical problems of the implementation of distance learning is noted. An analysis of the experience gained during 2020–2021 of using distance learning in general secondary education institutions revealed a number of problems of a political, legal, technical, technological, professional and moral and ethical nature. A number of recommendations were formulated to the relevant government bodies at the central and local levels, aimed at improving the state educational policy, strengthening social support for participants in the educational process and increasing the level of accessibility of educational services for them in the context of distance learning.