On 17 January, a public discussion on the reform of specialised upper secondary education took place in Cherkasy. Cherkasy region has already established a prospective network consisting of 81 academic lyceums across 66 territorial communities. However, demographic trends indicate that in some communities, the number of students may be insufficient to implement profile-based education in upper secondary school. This, in turn, could pose challenges to ensuring the quality of t

The "DECIDE:VIDBUDOVA" initiative has enabled the creation of a modern shelter at Chernihiv Lyceum No. 22, ensuring safe conditions for more than 930 students. DECIDE allocated a total of 3.8 million UAH for the renovation and equipping of the 376.5 m² shelter. The project involved a full replacement of the electrical wiring, installation of a new ventilation system, levelling and painting of walls, flooring replacement, and furnishing with modern equipment. A stairlift was a

Imagine a world where every child discovers their talents from an early age, understands their strengths, and knows how to apply them. This is precisely what the career support system for students, piloted in Ukraine by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in collaboration with the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project, aims to achieve. "First and foremost, career counselling is about children exploring and understanding themselves, identifying their strengths and intere

The Vertiivka community has become a strong example of how inter-community cooperation can be successfully established to meet the needs of all stakeholders. During the decentralisation reform, a key question arose: should the Inclusive Resource Centre (IRC) remain in Nizhyn, or should it be relocated to the community? The decision would directly impact hundreds of families. What challenges had to be overcome to develop this cooperation model? Why is the centre aspiring to cr

Is it possible to make a school shelter a place for learning, relaxation and even inspiration? Myrhorod Lyceum named after T. H. Shevchenko in Poltava region has proven that a school shelter can be more than just a place for safety. Thanks to the dedication of the community and support from the DECIDE project, it has been transformed into a modern and welcoming space. However, the journey was not easy. "In the beginning, the shelter looked like a storage room filled with old

The school nutrition reform, initiated by the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, is being implemented by territorial communities even during the war. The results of the reform in 2024 were discussed during the final strategic session with the participation of the Reform Support Team, representatives of all relevant ministries and the DECIDE Project. Olena Zelenska called the reform ‘an investment in a healthy generation, strong communities and the country's economy’. The m

Like many other cities in Ukraine, Chernihiv bears deep scars from the war, but the resilience of its community continues to overcome challenges. "As a result of the full-scale invasion and continuous shelling of Chernihiv, 80% of educational institutions, including schools, kindergartens, and vocational education facilities, were damaged to some extent. Some suffered direct hits and severe destruction, while others were affected by blast waves. Two schools were completely de

On 11 December 2024, a monitoring session on the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Education in Poltava region was held in Poltava. The session was attended by heads of communities, members of local councils, educators and members of the working group who developed the Strategy. Some of the important results are as follows: ✔ 100% of out-of-school, vocational and specialised pre-higher education institutions have been provided with shelters; ✔ Almost 20% m

On 10-11 December 2024, Poltava hosted a workshop ‘Development of Education in the Territorial Community’. It brought together the heads and deputy heads of territorial communities of Poltava region, local council members - heads of education commissions and heads of education authorities of these territorial communities. The special training programmes were delivered by the Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE in cooperation with the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service. Th

In 2021, the community began its collaboration with DECIDE, making significant progress in developing its education system. However, the war changed everything, and ensuring children's safety became a priority. Creating a comfortable shelter space was essential to guaranteeing access to education even during air raid alerts. The renovation of the shelter at Pershotravneve Lyceum, which serves 650 students, started almost from scratch. Yet, thanks to participation in the "DECI