

Zhytomyr region: community leaders discussed the implementation of the reform of specialised senior schools
The workshop ‘Reform of Specialised Senior Secondary Schools: Opportunities and Challenges for Communities’ was held in Zhytomyr on 15 April as the final part of the professional development programme. Forty-four community leaders from Zhytomyr region and their deputies responsible for education attended the event. The implementation of specialised secondary education reform, with a particular focus on the region’s specific characteristics, was discussed with: Nadiia Kuzmycho


DECIDE and Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration sign Memorandum on Five-Year Cooperation
The document was signed by Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, and Vitalii Bunechko, Head of the Zhytomyr Regional State Administration. Zhytomyr region was selected as a partner region for DECIDE Project, and the next five years of joint work will be focused on the restoration and development of education in the communities of Zhytomyr and the region as a whole. Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, noted, ‘Our partnership with Zhytomyr region is based on syste


DECIDE and Ivano-Frankivsk region extend educational partnership until 2030
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 deep


From idea to implementation: Reform of specialised education to begin in 2027
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 inde


DECIDE and Lviv Regional State Administration sign Memorandum of Cooperation until 2030
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 of t


How are communities getting ready for secondary school reform? Outcomes of DECIDE team’s work in four regions
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


DECIDE experts recently held public consultations in Ivano-Frankivsk region on reforming specialised senior secondary schools
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 students obtain basic secondary education at the gymnasium’s branches?
«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


DECIDE and Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine complete a training programme for community leaders and their deputies on implementation of specialised secondary education reform!
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.


DECIDE and Kyiv Regional Military Administration sign Memorandum of Cooperation until 2030
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 ed