The competitive selection process for partner communities in Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions took almost three months. The Selection Committee received 231 applications from communities in the eight partner regions. Following two selection stages, which included the analysis of applications, interviews, expert evaluations and meetings with the leadership teams of the communities, 40 communities were selected to participate in

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

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

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

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

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

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 ed

«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

On 12 March, a round-table discussion titled ‘Implementation of the Law on Vocational Education: Legislative and Property Aspects’ was held in Poltava, focusing on practical steps for implementing the new legislation. The event was organised by the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils (UAROR) in collaboration with DECIDE Project and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, with the support of the Poltava Regional State Administration and the Poltav

What will secondary education in Ternopil region look like? How can a system be built that offers students real choice? And how can these changes be implemented in practice, taking into account the specific characteristics of each community? DECIDE Project experts — Ihor Melnychuk, Petro Hotsaliuk, and Khrystyna Duda — discussed the practical steps involved in these changes during a series of visits to the Ternopil City Council, Zborivska, Vyshnivetska communities, and Zbaraz

The Memorandum provides for a broad partnership framework until 2030 within the framework of DECIDE Phase 2. The document lays the foundation for long-term, systematic cooperation aimed to comprehensively develop education at the regional level by strengthening the capacity of local governments to implement reforms in education. The partnership provides for: support for the reform of vocational education, including expert guidance on the transfer of institutional assets from

2 March, a workshop entitled ‘Reform of Specialised Senior Secondary Schools: Opportunities and Challenges for the Community’ was held in Poltava. The event was part of a training programme for heads of regional education departments. The programme ran from 17 February and brought together heads of education authorities from 57 communities. The key speakers at the event were: Nadiia Kuzmychova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine; Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Pr

Which schools will continue to operate as lyceums, and which will remain as gymnasiums? What academic profiles will be available to pupils, and how can these best be implemented depending on pupils’ needs and the capabilities of the schools? How can effective communication be established with parents and local councillors? These and many other questions were discussed during consultative meetings of DECIDE Project’s expert team, organised by the Kyiv Regional State Administra

In Lviv region, career guidance means more than formal tests in the school psychologist’s office or talks about careers in the assembly hall. It is a comprehensive system where vocational education is modernised, becoming trendy and attractive. Here, forums are organised for several thousand people, attended by vocational schools, businesses, communities, teenagers and their role models. Schoolchildren visit businesses, and vocational colleges organise summer camps for the yo

The final workshop ‘Reform of Specialised Senior Secondary Schools: Opportunities and Challenges for the Community’ was held on 11 March in Poltava. The event was organised by DECIDE in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Poltava Regional State Administration and the Poltava Regional Council. The workshop marked the completion of a training course that ran from 18 February and brought together 28 communities in Poltava region, along with the