On 17 July, Boryspil district in Kyiv region hosted a Healthy Nutrition Festival, which brought together children, parents, educators, representatives of communities, government authorities, and international partners around a shared goal – fostering a culture of healthy nutrition. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna, Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukrai

On 10 July, a discussion “Transfer of Property of Vocational Education Institutions: Challenges, Opportunities, and Responsibilities of Local Governments” was held during the regular meeting of the Executive Board of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils (UAROR). The event brought together more than 40 heads of regional and district councils from all regions of Ukraine – members of the UAROR Executive Board, representatives of the Ministry of Education a

The document is intended to adjust current regulations to the New Ukrainian School reform and the modern needs of schools. The draft order provides for a number of important changes, including: the introduction of new positions: career education counsellor, security administrator for networks and systems, legal adviser, as well as teaching assistant and support educator; changing the title of “secretary” to “office administrator”; abolishing restrictions for teachers-organise

This is an important step towards developing education for democratic citizenship and human rights education, which help adolescents become active, responsible, and engaged members of their communities. What is this course about? About how to be active and responsible members of your community! During the course, students will: learn how a community functions and what role children and youth can play in its development; develop skills such as cooperation, communication, teamw

On 10 July, the meeting “Expansion of the free school meals programme from 1 September 2026: challenges, updated rules, and practical solutions for communities” was held. The school nutrition reform was launched in 2020 on the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska. The event brought together representatives from more than 1,000 communities. The event was initiated and attended by Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine; other participants

The modern Regional Resource Centre for Inclusive Education was opened in Kyiv region with the support of local authorities and international partners, in particular DECIDE Project, at the Kyiv Regional Institute of Postgraduate Education for Teachers. The Centre was created to provide support and educational guidance for children with special educational needs, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and children who are temporarily residing abroad. The Centre will also provide

«Distance-learning specialised education: legally – yes; effectively – depending on the approaches used» The reform of specialised secondary education in Ukraine involves the establishment of a network of academic lyceums, which provide education at the third level of comprehensive secondary education with compulsory specialisation (profiling). In this context, local governments face a practical question: can distance learning be considered an alternative to establishing a ca

Last year and this year, four DECIDE expert teams, who work with communities across Ukraine, have been providing consultative support on all aspects of implementing the reform of specialised senior secondary education – the third and final stage of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform. Recently, DECIDE expert team – Olena Stepko, Olha Khomenko, and Yana Brusentsova – conducted a series of on-site consultations in communities in Odesa region: Usativska, Tairovska, Biliaivska,

Thousands of children and teenagers from Luhansk region are currently living in different regions of Ukraine. Due to the security situation, their communities are unable to organise summer clubs for them in the traditional format. But childhood cannot be put on hold, nor can the need for social interaction, personal development, and self-discovery be postponed. Therefore, within the framework of DECIDE Summer Clubs 2026 initiative “We Are at Home – in Ukraine”, we have select

«Why does the founder of an educational institution play a key role in ensuring its stable, legitimate, and high-quality functioning?» When working with communities, we frequently encounter a widespread view held by both school administrators and staff at education authorities: the founder is responsible for ensuring the functioning of educational institutions, but does NOT have the right to exercise control over them. This view raises a number of practical questions. Is it r

«Quality lyceum starts with the decision: not to adapt students to profiles, but create profiles according to students’ real need, willingness, preferences, and interests» Within the framework of the reform of specialised senior secondary education, approaches to the internal organisation of the educational process are undergoing significant changes. This is not about the formal structure of classes, but about creating real opportunities for students to make choices and shapi

«Why financial autonomy of schools is the basis for the realisation of other types of autonomy that are defined by the law» Within the framework of the reform of specialised senior secondary education, approaches to the internal organisation of the educational process are undergoing significant changes. This is not about the formal structure of classes, but about creating real opportunities. The financial autonomy of general secondary education institutions is not merely a ne

«The reform of specialised senior secondary education is not about the number of lyceums on the map, it is about the number of opportunities available to every child» Nowadays, many communities strive to keep their own lyceum at any cost, even if the number of prospective senior students is expected to be minimal (a “low-enrolled” lyceum). This desire is easy to understand, as the lyceum is seen, to a certain extent, as a symbol of the traditions and self-sufficiency of the c

On 25–26 June, Gdańsk hosted the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 – the leading international conference dedicated to Ukraine’s recovery. The event brought together more than 7,000 participants, including delegations from over 40 governments, international organisations, financial institutions, business, and civil society. During the conference, more than 200 international agreements and contracts aimed to support Ukraine’s recovery were concluded. The delegation from Switzer

We are grateful to every single person who voted for our initiative! ‘For us, this award is, above all, recognition of the work done by the large team of DECIDE Project in partnership with the team of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, our mentors and coordination groups in the regions, communities, schools and businesses, and everyone who believed that careers guidance should become an integral part of the education system. Today, we can see that careers guida

On 18–19 June, Lviv hosted Ukraine’s largest educational festival “Teachers of the Future”. The event brought together over 2,500 educators and speakers from different countries, with more than 200 events centred on the main theme: “The Art of Shaping the Future”. The Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project joined the festival as a partner and shared its achievements in the development of specialised senior secondary schools and the career guidance system for children and adolescents.

On 18–19 June, Lviv hosted a two-day training seminar-workshop for heads of education authorities and their deputies from 63 communities in Lviv region. The professional development programme was approved by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service and is worth 2 ECTS credits (60 hours). The training lasted from 11 until 27 May in a remote format, while on 18–19 June, an in-person workshop was held in Lviv. The event became a platform to discuss the key directions for

‘I’ve changed my mind, I’m not going to study here!’ – these words, spoken hysterically, were what Nataliia Kohuch, Director of the Ivano-Frankivsk Centre for Vocational and Technical Education No. 1, heard from a prospective student right in the hall of the educational institution a few years ago. The girl had been looking at beautiful photos of modern workshops on social media, but the first thing she saw in person was an old, shabby hall. This story was a defining moment f

On 17 June, Lviv hosted a workshop “Reform of specialised senior secondary education: Opportunities and challenges for the community”, which became the final event in a series of specialised advanced training programmes for community leaders, their deputies, and heads of education departments. The professional development programme was approved by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service and is worth 0.6 ECTS credits (19 hours). Keynote speakers at the event included:

Career guidance from vocational schools used to look like this: a team of recruiters would come to the school, hand out leaflets and calendars – which the schoolchildren would throw away within a few minutes – and talk about the benefits of free education. These days, Brovary Vocational College has replaced such activities with welding simulators, virtual truck driving experiences, and a real modular house where students can see how the electricity, water, and heating systems