From idea to implementation: Reform of specialised education to begin in 2027

The reform of specialised secondary education is neither a new nor a recently adopted decision. It has been an integral part of the ‘New Ukrainian School’ reform since 2017. Its practical implementation will begin in September 2027.

Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, emphasises the fundamental importance of educational reform and its role in shaping the future of the country, ‘This reform, the need for which had been evident since Ukraine gained independence and was reaffirmed during the Revolution of Dignity, when the question of values and the civilisational paradigm in which the country would move finally arose. And education is one of the key areas, because it is through education that this choice is realised.’

Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure the sustainability of the reform and the continuity of the educational path, for the education of children cannot be put on hold and postponed until better times.

The need for reform stems from a number of systemic challenges, including:

• inequalities in the quality of education between rural and urban schools;

• lack of a genuine choice of academic profiles for most senior secondary school students;

• dominance of humanities-based profiles (around 70% of students choose these) and so on.

The complexity of the reform, however, lies in the fact that its comprehensive implementation is impossible without transforming the network of educational institutions. Only if there are sufficient numbers of students in senior secondary school can a lyceum provide a genuine choice of profiles and take individual educational needs into account, since every child is unique. Moreover, senior secondary school students must study in an educational environment adapted to their age and psychological characteristics.

The reform is complex and requires bold and often difficult decisions from officials at all levels. Most communities are actively preparing to introduce specialised senior secondary schools. This raises a fundamental question: should children have to wait and miss out on opportunities simply because adults lack the resolve to embrace change?

For this reason, DECIDE Project provides systematic support to the Government and communities across Ukraine in preparing for and implementing this reform. Much has been achieved in recent years:

• An interactive map of the network of educational institutions that will provide specialised secondary education has been created, based on information from communities;

• A forecast assessment of the population size and its gender and age structure has been conducted, with a focus on young people (M. V. Ptukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine);

• A nationwide comprehensive sociological survey ‘Reform of Specialised Secondary Schools’ aimed to study public opinion (Kyiv International Institute of Sociology), was conducted, covering 80,000 respondents (and we are already preparing to conduct the second stage of the survey);

• A draft Strategy for the Implementation of Specialised Secondary Education Reform until 2034 has been developed, involving over 400 experts and 8 expert sessions;

• Expert and advisory support is provided to communities on the implementation of the reform, in particular on the legal aspects of forming a network of educational institutions, cooperation between communities, and the development of profiles in lyceums. Since March 2025, expert teams have conducted online and offline consultations in 600 communities (42% of the total number of communities in Ukraine), in which more than 11,000 participants took part;

• Public discussions on the main aspects of the implementation of the reform have been held with representatives of regional military administrations, local governments, education authorities, and representatives of educational institutions in 24 regions of Ukraine, involving around 3,500 participants from 1,306 communities;

• A wide-ranging communication campaign is underway: with the support of the Project, a landing page for the ‘Profilna’ reform has been developed, along with 10 video explainers on the key aspects of the implementation of the reform, webinars within the ‘Education in Communities from A to Z’ campaign, a series of articles in the media and other communication materials.

DECIDE Project experts have contributed to the drafting of the regulatory and legislative acts required to implement secondary school reform, in particular the draft Regulations on Lyceums.

We are convinced of the necessity of this reform and its successful implementation, despite all the challenges. Our shared task as a society is to go through this stage with dignity and to be determined to make the changes that will ensure a high-quality education and wide-ranging opportunities for every child.

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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