For frontline regions, implementation of senior specialised school reform requires special support

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 remotely exclusively. The demographic situation remains challenging, too. Thousands of families have been forced to flee their homes and educational institutions.

However, despite the difficulties, communities are doing their best to maintain the continuity of education by organising distance learning.

During the meetings, the DECIDE Project experts and community representatives discussed the following issues:

• Can academic lyceums provide distance learning?

• How can high-quality specialised education be ensured in a distance learning format?

• How can an educational network be planned when part of the community is occupied?

• How can the community’s pedagogical potential be preserved?

Today, communities are eager for change, but not everyone knows where to begin or how to proceed in compliance with current legislation.

‘We often receive questions about how to properly convert an educational institution into a gymnasium, or a gymnasium into a lyceum. Regional experts provided detailed explanations of the possible changes, the differences between re-profiling and reorganisation, and how to formalise these processes legally. During the meeting, considerable attention was paid to staffing the future academic lyceum, particularly the issue of attracting young teachers, which is also a challenge for our community today,’ said Oleksandr Vasylenko, Head of the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports at the Bilozerska Village Council.

‘Initially, two academic lyceums were planned for the Kupianska community. However, after analysing the demographic situation, the decision was made to focus on opening a single institution for specialised secondary education. DECIDE experts advised intensifying the work of pedagogical councils to determine the future lyceum's profile, involving parents in discussions about educational content and adhering to the established procedure for consultations when making decisions about transforming the network of educational institutions,’ adds Serhii Zhadanovskyi, Head of the Education Department at the Kupiansk City Council in Kharkiv Region.

Support from experts for the implementation of senior specialised school reform continues. Follow this link to register for a visit by experts — Project representatives will then contact you to arrange a time and format for the meeting.

Such meetings help to take into account the situation on the ground and develop the most realistic scenarios for implementing the 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.