Team of DECIDE experts continues to support communities in preparing for the launch of specialised secondary school

A public consultation was recently held in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region, with nearly 200 participants, including educators, school principals, and representatives of local authorities from Kaluska and neighbouring communities. The meeting provided a platform to find common solutions for implementing specialised senior secondary school reform and for developing an effective educational network that focuses on the needs of children and adolescents.

The meeting participants included:

Viktor Kimakovych, Director of the Department of Education and Science of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration.

Antonina Makarevych, Deputy Head of the Office for the Implementation of the New Ukrainian School under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

Nadiia Hush, Deputy Mayor of Kalush.

Oksana Savchuk, Acting Head of the Department of Education, Health, Culture and Sport of the Kalush District State Administration.

Ihor Melnychuk, Petro Hotsaliuk, and Khrystyna Duda – DECIDE experts.

In particular, the following topics were discussed:

organisation of the educational process in academic lyceums from September 2027;

learning profiles that will meet the interests of students;

a new model of educational path – academic lyceum or vocational college;

optimisation of the network: in Ivano-Frankivsk region, 40 lyceums will replace more than 300;

the prospect of preserving two lyceums in Kaluska community: academic and scientific.

The community is already analysing the demands of schoolchildren and the resources available at its educational institutions. After all, the more students there are in a lyceum, the broader the range of profile content and opportunities available to adolescents in the community who want to obtain a high-quality, modern education.

Other issues were also discussed, including the adequacy of the material and technical resources supporting the profiles, the availability of qualified teachers, student transportation, and partnerships with other communities.

‘We are not waiting until 2027; we are already preparing for the changes that will affect senior secondary school, specifically grades 10–12. After all, any reform is challenging, but effective communication is essential. We are grateful to DECIDE experts who answered questions, dispelled myths, and provided detailed explanations of the essence of the reform, including why it is important for children to have a choice and why specialisation and a separate educational space for senior classes are needed. Even those who were initially opposed to the reform can now see its benefits and have changed their minds,’ emphasised Nadiia Hush, Deputy Mayor of Kalush.

The presentation of the success story of the Pustomytivska community in Lviv region was particularly valuable. Supported by DECIDE experts, the community has already created a separate academic lyceum for high school students. The community is now sharing its experience with others, from overcoming resistance from the wider community to creating profiles and selecting teaching staff.

The visit once again demonstrated that educational changes at the local level are best achieved through partnership and a shared vision. Such meetings help take regional and local characteristics into account, find realistic solutions, and adopt successful approaches.

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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