Network of specialised secondary education institutions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions: DECIDE Project supports public discussion of the reform
How to plan a network of specialised secondary education institutions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, taking into account the territories affected by hostilities and the temporarily occupied territories? This question was the focus of a public discussion held on 29 November 2024. The event was organised by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine together with the Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE with the support of Donetsk and Luhansk Regional Military Administrations.
As a result of the discussion, 74% of participants said that the essence of the reform of specialised secondary education had become clearer. In addition, 12% of participants said they plan to have an academic lyceum in their community, and another 24% would like to have such a lyceum after the victory, while the same number of participants plan to have an academic lyceum with a distance learning mode.
Dmytro Zavhorodniy, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, noted that all scenarios of the end of the war should be taken into account and different options for the network of specialised secondary education institutions should be developed to quickly resume the educational process after de-occupation and the cease of hostilities.
Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, expressed hope that the high school will start operating in these regions as early as 2027:
“Luhansk and Donetsk regions are implementing this reform in extremely difficult conditions. Since 2014, educators and managers of both regions have preserved the education system against all odds, and this inspires great respect. Today, in accordance with the law, we have to plan further implementation of the NUS reform in different formats and scenarios, not only in the territories controlled by Ukraine, but also taking into account the de-occupation of the entire territory of both regions. As the situation is very complicated, both regions are currently planning three different scenarios for the organisation of the network, taking into account the course of the war.”
Artem Lysohor, Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, stressed that the region faces an insurmountable level of risk in the field of education. Nevertheless, 82 schools continue to operate remotely and one in a face-to-face format.
Oleksandr Shevchenko, Deputy Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, outlined the key tasks of the region during the war and after the victory.
“Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been affected by the Russian occupation for ten years. The key problem is that a large number of our children remain in the occupied territories. We are making every effort to support them. The main task is to maintain communication with these children.”