Education of the future begins in communities: Volyn is preparing for the reform of specialised secondary schools

The success of the reform of specialised senior secondary education will depend on its implementation at the local level; therefore, DECIDE experts continue to provide advisory support and assist communities in finding the best solutions for establishing a capable network of academic lyceums.

Since March 2025, our team of experts – Petro Hotsaliuk, Khrystyna Duda, Ihor Melnychuk – has provided 48 consultations to the communities of Volyn region. This time, public consultations were held in Liubeshivska, Prylisnenska, Povorska, Volodymyrska, Poromivska, Kolkivska, Kopachivska, and Pidhaitsivska communities.

During the meetings, DECIDE experts, together with representatives of local self-government, heads of educational institutions, teachers, and parents, focused on the following issues:

• What will change for schoolchildren and teachers once specialised secondary education is introduced?

• What advantages for schoolchildren, educators, and communities will the separation of specialised senior secondary schools bring?

• How can regular transportation be organised for senior school students who live a long way from their lyceum?

• How should a lyceum choose its specialisation?

• How can academic lyceums be provided with qualified teachers?

• What should be the step-by-step plan for cooperation between communities in the process of establishing a network of educational institutions?

During the third stage of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform, each community faces challenges that are common to all, but should also take into account its own specific circumstances. In parallel, communities are setting their own strategic priorities for educational development and seeking the most effective solutions to meet the needs of their schoolchildren.

For Liubeshivska community, the availability of education for children from remote localities and the organisation of safe and comfortable transport have become key issues. In Prylisnenska and Kolkivska communities, the focus shifted towards the development of multi-profile lyceums and opportunities for cooperation between communities. In Volodymyrska community, special attention was paid to the potential of the city as an educational hub for the surrounding territories.

Meanwhile, in Poromivska community, Povorska community, and Kopachivska community, discussions centred on demographic trends, staffing, and creating conditions under which schoolchildren would have a genuine choice of educational profiles rather than a formal list of study areas.

‘We realise that the system needs to change, as we can see the costs, the number of schoolchildren and the number of teachers. But we need clear instructions, action plans, advice, and recommendations on how to put these changes into practice. We are grateful to the experts, because we can always give them a quick call, ask a question and get expert recommendations quickly,’ says Halyna Kovalchuk, Head of the Department of Education, Culture, Family, Youth, and Sport at the Poromivska Village Council.

In Pidhaitsivska community, one of the key topics of discussion was the profiling of senior schools through the development of STEM education. According to Svitlana Zinkevych, Head of the Education Department of Pidhaitsivska community, ‘We want our children to have modern learning opportunities here, in their own community. Therefore, the development of STEM education is one of our priorities. The Pidhaitsi Lyceum is one of five educational institutions in Volyn that have received a state subsidy to create STEM laboratories and modernise natural science classrooms. This is a good example of how partnership between the state and the community creates new opportunities for children in terms of their education and career choices.’

Consultations in the communities of Volyn are underway. The successful reform of specialised senior secondary education begins with thoughtful decisions at the local level that take into account the needs of students, the capabilities of communities, and the development prospects of the region.

If your community needs expert support in implementing the reform of specialised senior secondary education, please fill out a short form via the link.

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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