REFORMING THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF GENERAL SECONDARY EDUCATION IN POST-COMMUNIST EU COUNTRIES

Abstract

The article is devoted to a detailed analysis of the processes of reforming public administration in the field of general secondary education in the post-communist countries of the European Union, in particular in Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic, in the context of their socio-economic transformation and integration into the European space. The article examines the main challenges that these countries faced after the fall of communist regimes, in particular the need to restructure centralized, often ideologically loaded education systems that do not meet modern requirements. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of adapting education to new economic, political and social realities, as well as on increasing its competitiveness in the context of globalization and European integration. The experience of reform in Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic is studied, where innovations in the field of digitalization, decentralization of management processes and adaptation of educational programs to modern requirements have been successfully implemented. A comparative analysis of the results of these countries in the international PISA 2018 and 2022 rankings highlights the different levels of effectiveness of the reforms, resilience to global challenges, in particular the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of socio-economic changes. It examines how each country adapts its education management strategies to new conditions and ensures the quality of education, which is important for their integration into the European educational environment. A separate section of the article focuses on the current situation in Ukraine, where significant external challenges, in particular military operations and the pandemic, have significantly complicated the development of the education system. This has increased the need for structural and functional reforms focused on European standards of education quality. The article suggests focusing on the experience of post-communist EU countries, in particular in aspects of reforming public administration in education, to adapt the national education system to the requirements of European integration and global standards.