Annual Summit of All-Ukrainian Association of Communities held in Khmelnytskyi region

On 2 May, Khmelnytskyi region hosted the Annual Summit of the All-Ukrainian Association of Communities, dedicated to the presentation of the updated legislative agenda – a holistic document with a list of necessary changes for the development of communities.

The event was organised by the All-Ukrainian Association of Communities (VAG) with the support of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project. More than 200 participants from all over Ukraine participated in the event: community leaders, starostas, and representatives of local governments from different regions.

The plenary panel discussion focused on the issue of state and regional policy in the reform of specialised senior secondary schools.

Keynote speakers at the plenary panel were:

• Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager;

• DECIDE National Experts: Serhii Yatskovskyi, Yana Brusentsova;

• Uliana Tkachenko, Member of Khmelnytskyi Regional Council.

During the plenary panel, several topical issues were raised, including:

• transformation of the network of general secondary education institutions and the powers of local governments in this process;

• requirements for the minimum number of students in senior grades;

• cooperation between communities in terms of education.

Special attention was paid to practical case studies of the implementation of the reform of specialised senior secondary school in Khmelnytskyi region.

Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, emphasised: the task of communities today is to create, in synergy with the state and international partners, a network of lyceums that will serve as not simply a place of learning for young people, but a real launch pad for building their future in Ukraine.

Serhii Yatskovskyi, DECIDE National Expert and Coordinator of Advisory Support for Local Governments in Implementing the Reform of Specialised Secondary Education, also noted during the Summit that the NUS reform does not come as a surprise – it was launched back in 2017–2018 with the adoption of the Law ‘On Education’ and acquired its final shape after 2020 following the adoption of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Complete General Secondary Education’, a considerable part of the provisions of which will come into force on 1 September 2027.

Olha Khomenko, Deputy Head of Nekhvoroshchanska community in Poltava region, explained that the community already is an educational centre for children from four neighbouring communities in Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Classrooms are equipped and new classes are opened at the lyceum of the community to provide specialised secondary education. There are also plans to sign a cooperation agreement in education.

‘The reform should not just be accepted – it must be understood and implemented. Education is the largest source of expenditure for the community and affects every family,’ she said.

Uliana Tkachenko, Member of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Council, encouraged the participants to look beyond a purely school-based perspective on the reform and emphasised the need for widespread awareness-raising work with students, parents, and teachers: ‘We need to have a broader view – what jobs we can offer and the direction our country is taking.’

Yana Brusentsova, DECIDE National Expert on Local Self-Government, emphasised that in communities where the operation of a lyceum cannot be secured, it is possible to apply the tool of inter-municipal cooperation provided for by law. Joint funding (maintenance) of such institutions by several communities is a realistic scenario. Our Project is ready to assist in establishing such cooperation.

Following the plenary panel discussion, Ivan Slobodianyk, VAG Executive Director, concluded, ‘DECIDE Project is crucial for the development of education in communities. It aims to support reforms and decentralisation processes to ensure effective governance in the education sector and equal access for residents of communities to quality education. The reform of specialised senior secondary schools is one of the key issues on our association’s legislative agenda, on which we are actively working. Recognising both the advantages, such as the opportunity for children to choose their own career path and a real chance for technical and vocational specialisms to gain prestige, and the concerns of our communities. Ultimately, however, we have to build a clear roadmap that takes into account the positions of all parties.’

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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