Establishing a network of academic lyceums: geographical accessibility and logistics, cooperation between communities and new infrastructure challenges

«When does transportation become one of key factors in the accessibility of specialised education?»

The reform of specialised secondary education in Ukraine, which is effectively a continuation of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform, provides for the creation of a network of lyceums, where students in Grades 10–12 will receive specialised secondary education from September 2027. The legal basis for this reform is primarily set out in the Law of Ukraine ‘On Education’ and the Law of Ukraine ‘On Complete General Secondary Education’. Establishing a network of lyceums is a strategic management decision at the community level: where and how the lyceums will operate, how to ensure access to them, and from which resources.

In many communities, the number of senior school pupils is insufficient to establish and/or maintain a lyceum with three different educational profiles, so it logically follows that a model needs to be introduced whereby a single lyceum serves several communities. In such a model, transportation becomes a key factor in the accessibility of specialised education.

How to organise transport for students?

In compliance with Part 4 of Article 13 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Education’ and Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Complete General Secondary Education’, local authorities are obliged to provide free and accessible transportation to educational institutions for students from rural areas, including ensuring the availability of suitable transport for people with reduced mobility, as well as for teaching staff.

These guarantees are provided for by local budgets according to the mechanisms set out in resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

In particular, Resolution No. 418 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 28 April 2023 sets out the procedure and conditions for the provision of subsidies from the state budget to local budgets for the purchase of school buses.

For example, one of the priorities is to provide buses for those general secondary education establishments which, according to the long-term plan of the local government, are due to form part of the lyceum network in the 2027/2028 academic year, to which, in the 2026/2027 academic year, students will be transported from educational institutions that provide basic secondary education.

This will help to prepare the logistics for the formation of the updated educational network in the 2027/2028 academic year.

Meanwhile, transportation for students is a long-term financial commitment for communities, which requires not only the purchase of buses but also their maintenance and repair, the purchase of fuel, drivers’ wages, and insurance for the vehicles.

How should the procurement and use of fuel be planned?

The most common methods of purchasing fuel for school buses include public procurement (open tenders or simplified procedures, depending on the volume), the use of fuel vouchers or cards, and planning purchases based on projected consumption, taking into account routes and seasonal variations.

Fuel can be stored in the organisation’s own or leased fuel depots, or via a network of petrol stations (using vouchers or cards).

The model of purchasing fuel via tenders using fuel cards or vouchers, with advance planning of requirements and the collection of fuel through a network of petrol stations without storage, is fully compliant with legislation and is the safest from an audit perspective, as it minimises the risk of violations and ensures the effective use of budget funds.

How many children should be transported, and how far?

The journey time should be safe and optimal (usually between 30 and 60 minutes) and follow regular, predictable routes. It is directly linked to the condition of the road infrastructure.

Poor road condition can significantly complicate the organisation of school transportation and lead to longer journey times, increased fuel costs, accelerated depreciation of school buses, as well as safety risks.

It is therefore important, when planning a network of lyceums, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of infrastructure, which includes the condition of road surfaces, transport accessibility, and the possibility to organise regular routes.

How can cooperation between communities solve the problem of school transportation?

Pursuant to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Cooperation between Local Communities’, communities may jointly co-fund the purchase of transport, apply together for state support programmes, designate the entity responsible for maintaining the buses, and agree on routes and timetables.

One specific type of cooperation involves joint investment in road infrastructure: repairing roads and improving driveways and bus stops specifically along the routes to lyceums. Such projects can be implemented through cooperation agreements, with tasks delegated to one of the communities. These agreements should be long-term, with a clear division of costs and responsibilities, as this is the kind of cooperation that ensures that students have stable and safe access to specialist secondary education.

Are there alternatives to daily transportation?

As an alternative to daily school transportation, especially in cases with long distances or complex logistics, boarding facilities attached to lyceums could be a solution. The possibility of establishing such facilities is provided for in Article 31 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Complete General Secondary Education’.

This model provides for students to live on the premises of the educational institution during the school week, which helps to reduce the burden on the transport system, optimise costs for communities, and ensure stable access to specialised education.

However, the establishment and maintenance of boarding facilities require an adequate material and technical infrastructure, compliance with health and safety requirements, as well as additional expenditure on food, accommodation, and mentoring for students.

This solution may be appropriate for “inter-municipal” lyceums that serve several communities, but it requires careful planning, clear agreements between communities, and taking into account the interests of students.

Establishing a network of lyceums is not merely a matter of education policy, but a comprehensive management decision that combines the planning of the network, logistics, infrastructure, and the financial capacity of communities.

For territories with a small number of students, the optimal approach is cooperation between communities, with a key role given to transportation or alternative formats, such as boarding facilities. However, transport requires a systematic approach: modernising vehicles, safe routes, transparent fuel procurement, and long-term budget planning. The quality of road infrastructure and the willingness of communities to cooperate – through joint funding, route coordination, and the implementation of infrastructure projects – are also critically important.

Joint decisions are needed to reduce costs and ensure the accessibility of specialised secondary education. Ultimately, the success of the reform of specialised secondary education at the local level depends on the ability of communities to think strategically, act proactively, and build sustainable partnerships in order to ensure equal access for students to quality specialised secondary education.

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