DECIDE continues to support communities in holding public discussions on implementation of specialized senior secondary school reform

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. Representatives of local authorities, councillors, educators, students and their parents participated in the meetings.

The experts explained what management decisions local councils need to make today to ensure the transformation of the general secondary education network in the near future, in accordance with current legislation.

Some of the key issues that concern communities today are:

• how to develop academic profiles for academic lyceums;

• how to prepare inter-municipal cooperation agreements;

• how to properly approach the process of changing the type of educational institution, obtain licensing and complete all the relevant legal procedures;

• what advantages the separation of senior secondary schools will bring.

Korostenska community already has a well-developed educational infrastructure and sufficient numbers of students to establish an academic lyceum. With over 8,000 students, further optimisation of the educational network is necessary, as is clear management of the process of discontinuing enrolment in Grade 10 in institutions that will be re-profiled as gymnasiums.

Some communities, such as Andrushivska and Malynska, are considering inter-municipal cooperation with neighbouring communities in order to open a single, modern lyceum on their territory.

Korostyshivska community has also taken a measured approach to establishing a network of academic lyceums, taking into account demographic factors and the availability of human and material resources. They identified the Gustaw Olizar Lyceum No. 1, to which students from neighbouring communities are already transported for schooling, as the most suitable option. 

With more than 300 participants, the discussions in Berdychivska community set a new record for events held by the macro-region team. Although the community’s educational network initially proposed the creation of four lyceums, the community is now aiming to establish a single, robust institution based on Lyceum No. 4. This will enable a sufficient number of students to study simultaneously, offering them a diverse range of profiles from all three clusters and elective courses. 

‘In general, the reform of specialised secondary schools is generating keen interest and certain concerns, as many practical questions arise during the implementation process. During the meetings, the experts explained how the hub institutions will continue to operate on the basis of gymnasiums and how to organise transportation for students going to lyceums. They also answered questions from parents, primarily about educational profiles and the specifics of educational programmes,’ said Alla Krasnokutska, Head of the Education Department at the Executive Committee of the Korosten City Council.

Despite their differing levels of readiness to launch specialised secondary schools, all communities are striving to understand the process and make informed decisions based on current legislation and the situation they face.

If your community requires expert advice, please fill out the short form via the link. 

We will contact you to arrange a convenient time and format for the meeting.

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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