«Does a teacher perform several ‘professional roles’ at a time? Explanation of the certification rules for each of these roles» Local governments and educational institutions often have practical questions about how to properly certify teaching staff who hold multiple positions or work part-time. This has become one of the most common personnel issues in communities, as correctly applying legislation is key to ensuring the legitimacy of decisions made by attestation commissio

The tenth DECIDE modern career guidance hub has opened at the Pivnichnyi Professional College in Savran, Odesa region. This new type of space enables students in Grades 7–9 to learn about different professions and try out real, professional-level equipment. The hub was created within the framework of an initiative to pilot a new career guidance system for students in Odesa region, in partnership with the DECIDE Project, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and th

Since early March, 43 communities in Odesa region have received advisory support on the implementation of senior specialised school reform from a team of experts from the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project. In November, the DECIDE team worked in the region again, this time with Velykodnalytska and Chornomorska communities. The meeting brought together local government representatives, trade union leaders, educators and parents to discuss the important topic of creating a modern,

In November, the DECIDE Project team visited the Kholmkivska, Baranynska, Kamianska, Bilkivska, Chynadiivska, and Horondivska communities in Zakarpattia region. A total of 13 communities in Zakarpattia region have already joined the effort to support the implementation of senior specialised school reform. The region has its own particular features: more than a third of schools are located in mountainous areas and many of these are situated in communities with national minorit

One more DECIDE career guidance hub has opened in Brovary — the ninth out of ten that we have established in Ukraine! This time, it is located at the Brovarskyi Vocational College. This is not just a classroom or a laboratory, but a modern career guidance space where students in Grades 7–9 can test out various professions. The hubs are part of a broader initiative to pilot a new career guidance system for students in Kyiv region, in partnership with the DECIDE Project, the Mi

This year, 66 communities took part in the traditional competition by submitting 260 applications that showcased their best practices, successful initiatives, effective solutions, and projects. The winner of the ‘Successful Together-2025’ competition in the education sector is Velykokuchurivska community in Chernivtsi region. Special awards from the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project in the ‘Leader in Education’ category were given to: Tereshkivska community (Poltava region) Okni

On 1 December, the traditional annual forum organised by the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning was held in the hero city of Bucha. The event was attended by Ukrainian MPs, representatives of central executive bodies, local governments and their associations, international and Ukrainian organisations, and the expert community. Valentyna Poltorak, Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project Manager, joined

The Government has approved an updated State Standard for Preschool Education. This document outlines what preschool education should involve and the outcomes children should achieve before starting school. Key changes include: a clear image of the child upon completion of preschool education has been defined; a competency-based approach has been introduced, with the emphasis on results rather than a list of topics; kindergartens are given more freedom in choosing curricula a

The National Forum on Sustainability and Good Governance was held recently. During the Forum, an updated approach to strategic and spatial planning in Ukraine was presented, covering functional types of areas, macro-regions and NUTS-UA1 statistical regions. The presented achievements will serve as a basis for further development of state regional policy. Presented were: macro-regions of Ukraine: temporarily occupied areas, frontline areas, centre and west; a separate category

Last week, the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project team held two advisory meetings with heads of educational institutions and deputy school principals in Ivano-Frankivska community, which is the largest community in the region. Traditionally, the following topics were discussed: the reasons for implementing the reform and the tasks it addresses; the stages of reform implementation and the strategy for its implementation; the financing models. DECIDE experts informed participants o