GOLD Report I - UCLG

109Education. In the majority of states, responsibilityfor public education is divided betweenlocal state government and localself-government. The latter, as a rule, is entitledto deal with pre-school and basiceducation. Nevertheless, central stategovernment establishes general legal normsin this sphere, and local self-governmentsput these norms into practice.In Uzbekistan, education is centralized. Forpre-school and basic education, centralstate organs approve standards, provideresources and supervise the execution oflaws, while other levels are engaged inproviding services and deploying resources.In Tajikistan, local self-government isresponsible for pre-school and elementaryschool institutions, while cities and districtshandle secondary schools and colleges. InUkraine, there is no strict separation offunctions in education, which results in aconfusion of powers between local stategovernment and local self-government.In Armenia, according to the law “On StateNon-Commercial Organizations,” the statereserves the role of founder of educationalinstitutions. At the same time, as providedby the law “On Local Self-Government,” allfacilities of pre-school education were givento municipalities and became municipalproperty.Provision of social services. In the majorityof the states of Eurasia local self-governmenthas fairly broad functions in theprovision of social services. For instance,Russian law prescribes that local self-governmentis responsible for organizing socialprotection of the population, providingsocial assistance, establishing different socialservices and assisting institutions thatprovide social services.In Armenia, social services administrationis assigned to the state. But even there,local self-government has been empoweredto provide social services through theirown social programs. The same situationprevails in Tajikistan, where providing socialservices is handled on three levels:that of the republic, the region and thelocale. Regional and local authorities areentitled to maintain the institutions thatprovide assistance at home.In Kazakhstan, local state organs pay allowancesand benefits to the unemployed,large families, orphans and single mothers.They also subsidize childbirth, housing andfuneral expenses. Ukraine has made a clearseparation of responsibilities in the sphereof social services. The law “On Social Services”(2003) establishes two spheres of stateand community services financed by differentbudgets.Provision of public health services.Nearly all states of the region have dividedthe responsibility for public health betweenstate (national and provincial) governmentand local self-government. The exception isUkraine where powers of local self-governmentare not clearly defined. In Russia anda number of other states, local authoritiesare responsible for providing medical firstaid,organizing medical aid in the “zone offirst contact” with patients in hospitals,ambulances and medical posts, and organizingpreventive medical services.According to laws of Armenia, heads ofmunicipalities are responsible for organizingand managing municipal health-careinstitutions. They promote improvement ofsanitation and implement sanitary, hygienic,anti-epidemic and quarantine measures.In Kazakhstan, local state authoritiesadminister public health. They assist localhospitals and general polyclinics, specializedclinics, tuberculosis hospitals, diagnostic centersand rural medical posts. They are alsoresponsible for the prevention and treatmentof dangerous infections. In Uzbekistan, publichealth is handled mainly by the state. Localself-government is responsible for organizingand maintaining medical posts.The majority of states have a multi-levelsystem for financing social services. As a