The document was signed by Valentyna Poltorak , DECIDE Project Manager, and Svitlana Onyshchuk , Head of the Regional Military Administration. The strategic partnership will continue amidst the recovery and reform of the education sector. ‘We have already been working together with Ivano-Frankivsk region for six years – this is about trust, results, and a partnership that has withstood difficult times. Today, we are not simply extending this cooperation until 2030 – we are de

The reform of specialised secondary education is neither a new nor a recently adopted decision. It has been an integral part of the ‘New Ukrainian School’ reform since 2017. Its practical implementation will begin in September 2027. Oksen Lisovyi , Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, emphasises the fundamental importance of educational reform and its role in shaping the future of the country, ‘This reform, the need for which had been evident since Ukraine gained ind

The Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project and the Lviv Regional State Administration have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation for the period until 2030 – a document that marks the launch of a new phase of systematic support and development for education in Lviv region. The Memorandum was signed by Valentyna Poltorak , DECIDE Project Manager, and Maksym Kozytskyi , Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration. The strategic partnership will continue amidst the recovery and reform o

Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernihiv, and Odesa regions hosted workshops on ‘Reform of Specialised Secondary Schools: Opportunities and Challenges for Communities’, bringing together community leaders, their specialised deputies, and heads of education departments and directorates. Together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Poltava Regional State Administration, the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration, the Chernihiv Regional State Administrat

To successfully implement the reform, the first step is to establish a capable of effective educational institutions. For this reason, DECIDE Project experts – Petro Hotsaliuk, Khrystyna Duda, and Ihor Melnychuk – together with local authorities, educators, and parents from the Halytska, Dubovetska, and Bilshivtsivska communities, met to discuss how to ensure access to high-quality specialised secondary education. The experts held separate meetings in Yezupilska and Kosmatska

«Can a “gymnasium” branch be part of a gymnasium? Analysis of the legislation» In the context of the reform of specialised secondary education, a question arises: can a type of general secondary education institution such as a “gymnasium” have a separate structural unit (branch) in which educational activities are conducted at the level of, in particular, basic secondary education (the “gymnasium” level)? The answer is: It can. This possibility is provided for by the followin

The concluding workshop ‘Reform of Specialised Senior Secondary Schools: Opportunities and Challenges for Communities’ was held on 25 March in Odesa. The event brought together mayors and responsible deputies from 52 communities in Odesa region. The training programme also included an online component. Special attention was paid to integrating the reform into communities’ strategic planning, and to approaches to planning the network of academic lyceums in strategic documents.

Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, and Mykola Kalashnyk, Head of Kyiv Regional Military Administration, signed the Memorandum . The strategic partnership will continue as the education sector undergoes recovery and reform. ‘Our cooperation with Kyiv region over the next five years is not simply about supporting individual changes, but about the systematic implementation of reforms in education, strategic planning for development, and strengthening the links between e

«Establishment of an academic lyceum in a community: how to avoid typical mistakes and lay a solid foundation for success?» Communities sometimes view senior secondary school reform as an organisational or legal task: to change the type of institution, pass a council resolution, or update the charter. However, an academic lyceum is not the result of a formal council resolution, but an outcome of strategic, staffing, and financial decisions made by the founder, upon which the

‘We must believe in this ourselves – and inspire children by our example,’ says Iryna Baibuza , Deputy Principal of the Reshetylivka Lyceum and Coordinator of the Career Guidance Programme, and these words summarise the transformation of career guidance in Reshetylivska community. The example of Reshetylivka shows how chaotic field trips and scattered initiatives can grow into a coherent, inspiring career guidance system that transforms both children and adults. The community