The results of cooperation with German auditors for 2024 have been summarized: a Joint Statement has been signed

On January 21, the Head of the Accounting Chamber, Olga Pishchanska, and the President of the Accounting Chamber of the State of Hesse, Dr. Walter Wallmann, signed a Joint Statement on Civil Protection and Emergency Response in Municipal Secondary Education Institutions.

Parallel safety audits in schools of the institution were completed last year. Thus, from December 2023 to July 2024, the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine conducted an efficiency audit of "Civil Protection in Municipal Institutions of General Secondary Education", in particular, by auditing 3,103 schools in five regions. In parallel, the Accounting Chamber of the State of Hesse audited 282 secondary schools in the region.

The Joint Statement presents conclusions and recommendations on both audit activities with a comparison of their results.

In particular, it was found that in Hesse schools, fire safety is much better than in Ukrainian ones. In Ukraine, 54% of the audited schools do not have proper fire protection systems, and 7.8% do not have primary fire extinguishing equipment. In Hesse, however, all tested schools are equipped with such systems.

At the same time, the results regarding other components of the civil protection system in Ukrainian schools are much better. For example, in Ukraine, 53.1% of schools use the services of qualified security personnel, and 36.9% are equipped with video surveillance systems. In contrast, in Hesse, 84.4% of institutions do not use such security measures, and over 99% do not have shelters (in Ukraine this figure is 41%).

In Ukraine, most schools have evacuation plans (98%) and practice evacuations (90%). In Hesse, such measures are practically absent. Emergency power supply in Ukraine covers 67% of schools, in Hesse - 36%.

During the discussion of the audit results, Dr. Walter Wallmann noted that the data obtained will help Germany identify key needs for improving civil protection in schools. In turn, Olga Pishchanska emphasized that a number of steps have already been taken in Ukraine to implement the recommendations made based on the results of this audit. In particular, the Methodology for assessing risks in the education system related to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation was approved, the procedure for using subventions allocated for the construction of shelters was changed, and the security of 402 schools in 9 regions was strengthened.

The signing of the Joint Statement on the results of the audit took place within the framework of the 22nd meeting of the Working Group "Europe" in Darmstadt. The event was attended by representatives of the audit chambers of the federal states of Germany, the Federal Audit Chamber of Germany (the organizer of the event),as well as invited participants.

In addition, the auditors discussed the results of the international coordinated audit "Housing for Internally Displaced Persons", which the Audit Chamber conducted jointly with the Federal Audit Chamber of Germany. The results of this audit were reported on, in particular, by the President of the Federal Audit Chamber of Germany Kai Scheller. A joint report will be prepared based on the audit results.

Also during the meeting, the auditors of the Accounting Chamber discussed the planning of a new parallel audit with the Accounting Chamber of the Federal State of Hesse on the digitalization of school education. The event is planned to be held this year. In particular, possible key audit issues and alternative options for conducting a sample of objects to be covered by the audit were discussed. At the same time, as Dr. Walter Wallmann noted, the new audit will involve more direct contacts between Ukrainian and German auditors.

During the working trip, the delegation of the Accounting Chamber also met with the President of the Parliament (Landtag) of the State of Hesse Astrid Wallmann. During the meeting, the President of the Landtag expressed support for Ukraine and its people, and also noted the effectiveness of cooperation between the Accounting Chamber of Hesse and the SAI of Ukraine. Olga Pishchanska, in response, thanked for the words of support and spoke about the role of the Accounting Chamber in the process of controlling the use of international aid funds.