Despite war and destruction: public discussion on the implementation of high school reform in Kherson region

On 13 November, a public discussion was held on the implementation of the high school reform for communities in Kherson region. The event was organised by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in cooperation with the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project and local governments. Kherson region was the final region in a series of events that covered 1,304 communities and more than 3,200 participants throughout Ukraine.

Kherson region is preparing to implement high school reform amid active hostilities and systematic destruction of educational infrastructure. Work on creating a network of specialised secondary education in the region began in 2024, despite constant shelling and occupation of part of the territory.

To date, 17 communities in the region have been evacuated, six of which have been identified as high-risk. This enables the educational process to be organised using a blended model, whereas in all other communities, insurmountable risks make only distance learning possible.

The extent of the destruction of educational infrastructure in the Kherson region is one of the worst in Ukraine. In the last 10 months alone, 19 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed, and this figure is constantly rising. In total, 80 institutions have been destroyed, 31 have been damaged and 44 have been looted. This significantly complicates the organisation of education and the ability to provide the material and technical conditions necessary for specialised secondary schools.

Another critical challenge is the rapid decline in the number of students. Currently, 17,600 students are officially enrolled in schools in the region. Of these, more than 8,000 are studying abroad, around 3,000 are studying in other regions and the remainder remain in the temporarily occupied territories. The fact that only 3,340 children permanently reside in the de-occupied territories significantly affects the forecasting of the network of specialised educational institutions.

Oleksandr Samoilenko, Head of the Kherson Regional Council, emphasised that decisions on the transformation of the education network should be based on the interests of children and long-term educational outcomes:

‘When we talk about opening new lyceums, we must first and foremost consider that every child deserves a complete education. Kherson has lost a lot — land, infrastructure and property — but our children remain our greatest potential. The future of the region depends on teachers and the decisions we make today. Our task is to establish a network that will provide children with a competitive education and enable teachers to develop alongside the reform.’

Nadiia Kuzmychova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, emphasised that the reform cannot be put on hold, even with distance learning:

‘We are not only talking about the future network of lyceums; we are also talking about the principles that can already be applied in the virtual network of Kherson region today. Our goal is to provide students with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills, to respect their choices, and to prepare them for life, not just for exams. Educational reforms cannot be put on hold when the futures of millions of children are at stake. Our shared responsibility is to provide children with a quality secondary education, regardless of the circumstances.’

Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, described the strategic vision for the reform:

‘This is a long-term, large-scale reform that will affect most of our country’s citizens and require the involvement of everyone: state authorities, communities, educators, students and parents.

The Draft Reform Strategy sets out to implement all stages by 2033, after which we will be able to assess the results. We continue to work with communities, providing them with comprehensive expert support. At the request of communities, our experts have already held more than 360 field meetings and online consultations to ensure that decisions on the formation of a network of lyceums are made in a balanced and strategic manner that takes into account the real situation, especially in regions affected by the war. It is important to us that all communities are able to express their views on the implementation of the reform.’

Olena Danylova, Head of the Education and Science Department at the Kherson Regional State Administration, noted that, despite the circumstances, work on establishing a promising network of institutions is ongoing:

‘Since 2024, we have been developing a network based on constantly changing demographic, infrastructure and security data. Using the example of six communities at high risk to their education systems, but where new solutions can be developed, we are supporting the profiling process. Notably, the Velykooleksandrivska community comprises 10 educational institutions, including a lyceum and a gymnasium, as well as eight gymnasiums with primary schools and one separate primary school. Three underground schools are under construction, two educational centres have been set up, and the community is set to receive three buses, with a further three currently in the procurement stage. This demonstrates that development is possible even under the current conditions, despite the proximity of the front line limiting participation in grants and subsidies. We will continue to develop our network based on the current situation, and we believe that, once we have achieved victory and our children have returned home, we will be able to establish the most effective education system. What is most important to us is maintaining our belief that we will see peaceful skies again, that our children will return home, and that, with these stable indicators of our peaceful life, we will establish the most effective network.’

The participants agreed that, despite the extraordinary circumstances, Kherson region is continuing to develop a network of specialised high schools that prioritise the interests and opportunities of Ukrainian children.

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

To view the photo gallery, click on the photo.