Chernihiv region: Community leaders discuss implementation of specialised secondary school reform

A workshop on ‘Reform of specialised senior secondary schools: opportunities and challenges for the community’ was held in Chernihiv on 26 February as the final part of a professional development course that began on 18 February.

The event was attended by 43 community leaders from Chernihiv region and their deputies.

The implementation of specialised secondary education reform, with a focus on the region’s specific characteristics, was discussed with:

• Nadiia Kuzmychova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine;

• Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager;

• Zhanna Sherstiuk, Deputy Head of the Chernihiv Regional State Administration;

• Nina Lemesh, First Deputy Head of the Chernihiv Regional Council;

• DECIDE Project expert team: Yurii Orlov, Alla Bondar, Olena Hulenko.

The meeting was held in the format of a lively dialogue, as community leaders actively asked questions to the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, discussed practical aspects of implementing the reform in their communities, and outlined their own challenges.

Most of the discussion focused on the specifics of Chernihiv region, which is a sparsely populated area with a difficult demographic situation exacerbated by migration processes, as well as its proximity to the border with the aggressor country.

Particular attention was paid to ensuring access to education: the condition of road infrastructure, the growing need for school buses due to the transformation of the education network, the safety of transporting schoolchildren in wartime, and cooperation between communities, which is an effective tool for implementing the reform.

Issues related to the creation of boarding schools for senior high school students were raised, which could be an important solution for communities that do not have academic lyceums and are unable to provide transportation, particularly due to their remoteness.

The questions raised demonstrated that the reform requires systemic solutions at all levels: from state and regional policy to management decisions at the level of each community.

Moreover, Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, presented opportunities for further cooperation with Chernihiv region within the framework of the second phase of the Project: support in strategising, expert assistance in implementing reforms and strengthening management capacity for the development of the education system in communities.

During the workshop, the participants also visited the Career Guidance Hub of the Chernihiv Professional Lyceum of Railway Transport, created with the support of  DECIDE Project, as well as Chernihiv Lyceum No. 22, where the participants were shown the renovated bomb shelter, which was completely repaired and equipped with a digital hub in 2024 with the support of DECIDE Project. The participants also visited Chernihiv Gymnasium No. 13, where major repairs were also carried out with the support of DECIDE Project, along with the repair and refurbishment of the bomb shelter and kitchen unit.

The results of the event showed that Chernihiv region, which suffered significant damage due to a full-scale invasion and has a difficult demographic situation, continues to work systematically to restore and modernise education, while at the same time making difficult management decisions necessary for the effective implementation of specialised senior secondary school reform.

The DECIDE project is implemented by NGO DOCCU and PHZH International Projects in Education with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.

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