Since March, 43 communities in Odesa region got support for implementing senior specialised school reform

Since early March, 43 communities in Odesa region have received advisory support on the implementation of senior specialised school reform from a team of experts from the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project.

In November, the DECIDE team worked in the region again, this time with Velykodnalytska and Chornomorska communities. The meeting brought together local government representatives, trade union leaders, educators and parents to discuss the important topic of creating a modern, high-quality education system that meets studentsj needs.

During the meetings, experts discussed and clarified any legal or organisational issues that arose during the establishment of the academic lyceums, bearing in mind the unique features of each community:

• what stages public discussion should go through and who must be involved;

• the decision-making algorithm during the re-profiling and reorganisation of schools;

• how to organise the commute of students to future academic lyceums?

Both communities are working to strengthen the educational infrastructure of schools that will subsequently operate as academic lyceums. Therefore, the natural science classrooms at Velykodalnytsyi Lyceum No. 1 and Chornomorskyi Lyceum have been renovated and equipped with modern multimedia teaching technology for use in various subjects.

The focus is on both quality and safety in education. The Velykodalnitskyi Lyceum is modernising its bomb shelters so that pupils can continue their studies during air raid alerts. In Chornomorsk, meanwhile, an automated entry and exit system has been installed that is adapted for people with reduced mobility.

Communities are also upgrading their vehicle fleets in order to transport schoolchildren from remote villages in new school buses.

Denys Tkachenko, Head of the Velykodalnytska Village Council, emphasised, ‘The councillors and I are open to cooperation and support initiatives aimed at improving the educational environment. At Velykodalnytskyi Lyceum No. 1, we are planning to build transparent, compact classrooms for groups to rotate through for elective courses. The lyceum is also participating in several pilot projects, including two 9th grade pilot classes of the New Ukrainian School. We are currently awaiting a decision on our participation in a national career guidance pilot project from the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project.’

‘We regularly hold public discussions with councillors and parents to explain educational changes and hear their views. After all, nothing that we do in education is a solo effort; it is a joint effort focused on our children. We have received professional advice from experts and taken their recommendations and reasoned explanations into account. We also plan to coordinate future draft decisions with experts and rely on their support to successfully implement educational reform at the community level,’ said Mariia Kosulina, Chief Specialist at the Department of Education, Culture, Tourism, Cultural Heritage, Youth and Sports of the Chornomorsk Settlement Council.

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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