The culinary career guidance hub was created by DECIDE Project in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Kyiv Regional State Administration, and Vasylkiv Vocational College. ‘In our region, chefs, pastry chefs and cooks are in high demand. Companies located in our region have placed orders with the Employment Centre,’ says Liudmila Postolenko, principal of the Vasylkiv Professional College. Today, the Vasylkiv City Council is introducing teenagers

Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson regions, providing comprehensive expert support and practical advice on the implementation of the reform. The war has created additional challenges for these communities: educational institutions have been destroyed or significantly damaged, school buses have been destroyed, and there are no safe roads. The educational process must be organised in bomb shelters. A significant proportion of children and adolescents are studying re

We have finished renovating the educational space at Zlatopilska community in Kharkiv region. Now, children and teenagers can catch up on their studies, take part in extracurricular activities and make new friends! Kharkiv region lives every day to the sound of alarms. But even in these conditions, children have the right to see each other, sit at their desks, ask their teachers questions and experience school life — not just online. To achieve this, we worked with the Zlatop

« Operational management VS usufruct of municipal property for secondary educational institutions. Why are changes inevitable? » The Law of Ukraine ‘On the Specifics of Regulating the Activities of Legal Entities of Certain Organisational and Legal Forms During the Transition Period and Associations of Legal Entities’  No. 4196-IX dated 9 January 2025 (hereinafter referred to as Law No. 4196) provides for the reform of the institutional framework for operational management ,

ur team recently visited Trostianetska community in Lviv region, where it held a public consultation with community leaders, representatives of the education department, principals of secondary schools, and representatives of the local council. The community is focused on setting up a capable academic lyceum based on a general secondary education institution in Demnia. Currently, there are four general secondary education institutions in Trostianetska community, but a decisio

When the full-scale russian invasion broke out in 2022, the bomb shelter at Chernihiv Gymnasium No. 13 became a place of refuge for many local residents. ‘In 2022, in the early days of the full-scale invasion, our lives changed dramatically. Neighbourhood residents came to the bomb shelter with their entire families, seeking safety and support. As we were more familiar with the premises, we were able to assist everyone who came to us and organise the necessary conditions. Whi

VR glasses for future train drivers, an agricultural station where you can try growing microgreens and solar mini-batteries that can be connected. Schoolchildren can experience all of these innovations at the new career guidance hub, which is based at the Chernihiv Professional Lyceum of Railway Transport. The space was created within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. It began operating as

In March 2022, Gymnasium No. 13 in Chernihiv was damaged by russian attack. ‘The school had broken windows and a damaged roof and walls. However, compared to other educational institutions in the area, this building was relatively intact. Schools No. 18 and No. 21, which are located in the same neighbourhood, were completely destroyed. It is here that students from Grades 1–9, as well as technical and teaching staff, from those schools moved to,’ begins Inna Levchenko, princi

We have taken another important step towards ensuring that all pupils in Grades 8 and 9 in Ukraine are able to make an informed choice about their future career. Last week in Lviv, the advanced training programme ‘JOBS. Career Guidance for Students: Training and Mentoring for Teachers’ training programme, which was part of the national piloting of a career guidance system for children and adolescents implemented by the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project in partnership with the Mi

On 16 December, H.E. Felix Baumann, the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation in Ukraine and the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project Manager, took part in a government meeting on school nutrition reform, which was attended by the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko, representatives of central executive authorities, heads of regional military administrations, and international partners. The following were presented during the event: Int

« Are the concerns of heads of military administration regarding the possibility of closing general secondary education institutions justified? The relevant legislation is explained below » Experts from the Swiss-Ukrainian ‘Decentralisation for Improved Democratic Education’ (DECIDE) Project regularly provide counselling to representatives of communities on specialised secondary education reform. During these consultations, the question often arises as to whether the founder

A public consultation was recently held in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region, with nearly 200 participants, including educators, school principals, and representatives of local authorities from Kaluska and neighbouring communities. The meeting provided a platform to find common solutions for implementing specialised senior secondary school reform and for developing an effective educational network that focuses on the needs of children and adolescents. The meeting participants in

« 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 commiss

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