One building of Chernihiv Gymnasium No. 13 was built in 1952, and the other in 1985. ‘Since then, the equipment in the kitchen unit has not been modernised. Cosmetic repairs were carried out, but over time the condition of the premises only deteriorated. The kitchen unit needed a major overhaul: replacement of outdated equipment and communications, ventilation, walls, ceilings, and tiles that no longer met modern standards. It was also necessary to replace non-functional tech

Our team of experts – Yurii Orel, Olena Hulenko and Alla Bondar – held public discussions with communities in Kyiv region: Boryspilska, Tarashchanska, Myronivska, and Prystolychna communities, as well as in Cherkasy region: Korsun-Shevchenkivska, Horodyshchenska, Steblivska, Nabutivska, Mliivska, and Stepanetska communities. At the same time, the second expert team – Yana Brusentsova, Olha Khomenko and Olena Stepko – held meetings with communities in Kharkiv region: Malodanyl

On 3 February 2026, a Forum on Supporting the Network of Inclusive Resource Centres (IRCs) was held in Kyiv. The event was organised by the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities. The Forum brought together DECIDE project experts, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, academics, heads of inclusive education support resource

« ‘We develop communities through education.’ How DECIDE is changing Ukraine from within » ‘Decentralisation for Improved Democratic Education’ (DECIDE) is an international project that supports reforms in Ukraine and is deeply embedded within them. For over five years, the Project has been working with communities, helping them to make educational decisions at the local level, establish a new senior school, develop a career guidance system, and implement tools for local demo

Since March 2025, Project experts have provided consulting support to more than 500 communities across Ukraine. In December 2025, our team of experts – Yurii Orel, Alla Bondar, and Olena Hulenko – held a series of consultations in seven communities in Zhytomyr region: Berdychivska, Andrushivska, Korostenska, Malynska, Korostyshivska, Brusylivska, and Chopovytska communities . They also visited three communities in Kyiv region: Dmytrivska, Borshchahivska, and Hostomelska . Re

How to properly model a network of specialised secondary education institutions? How to take into account demographic challenges and, at the same time, the financial capacity of the community to maintain educational institutions? Nowadays, the head of the educational authorities of the community faces numerous management challenges that must be overcome in order for a network of academic lyceums to start operating in Ivano-Frankivsk region in 2027. On 21 January, Ivano-Franki

The reform of specialised secondary education is one of the most pressing issues for communities that are planning to set up academic lyceums. The planned changes will be implemented very soon, so thorough and timely preparation is essential for communities that want to form a network of institutions where children will receive a quality education and be able to determine their future professional goals. This was the topic of the DECIDE project course ‘Reform of Senior Specia

Four teams of DECIDE experts continue their systematic work with communities on the key stages of the reform: the transition to specialised high secondary schools and the formation of individual educational trajectories for students. Since March 2025, over 209 face-to-face meetings and 260 online consultations have been held. These meetings have been attended by almost 8,700 people from 469 communities in 22 regions of Ukraine. Recently, the team of DECIDE experts held a publ

« Forming profiles at the community’s academic lyceum. What mistakes are important to avoid? » The aim of reforming specialised secondary education is to improve the quality of education and enable students to choose a specialisation that matches their interests and future plans. Therefore, specialisation should not be viewed simply as an organisational or personnel decision, but as a means of ensuring children have access to high-quality specialised secondary education. The

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

The Selection Committee, comprising relevant Deputy Ministers from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, and DECIDE Project management team, has identified four new partner regions that will join the implementation of DECIDE Phase II in 2025–2030. Over the previous month, the Selection Committee received applications from 13 regions: Vinnytsia, Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Khmel

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

A new model for financing and establishing supervisory boards in vocational education institutions. DECIDE Project experts will support the pilot project of the Ministry of Education and Science. At the request of the Ministry of Education and Science, DECIDE, KSE, and RST experts have been working for over a year on modelling, developing and agreeing on a draft procedure for implementing a pilot project to reorganise municipal vocational education institutions into municipal

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