What will senior secondary education be like in Ivano-Frankivsk region?

The reform of specialised secondary education is one of the most pressing issues for communities that are planning to set up academic lyceums. The planned changes will be implemented very soon, so thorough and timely preparation is essential for communities that want to form a network of institutions where children will receive a quality education and be able to determine their future professional goals.

This was the topic of the DECIDE project course ‘Reform of Senior Specialised Schools: Opportunities and Challenges for the Community’, which started in early January and ended with an in-person seminar in Ivano-Frankivsk on 20 January.

Sixty participants, including more than 30 community leaders and deputies, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Regional State Administration, and DECIDE Project team, met to find answers to complex questions and form a common vision for the future of senior secondary education in Ivano-Frankivsk region.

Some of the issues that are currently of most concern to local authorities are:

• practical aspects of modelling the network, including the number of students needed to ensure a realistic focus on education, taking into account demographic forecasts;

• transportation of students from remote mountain villages;

• financial mechanisms for implementing the reform, including attracting state subsidies, particularly for STEM laboratories and modern equipment for classrooms;

• attracting investment from international financial organisations, international technical assistance projects, EU structural funds, and the specifics of strategic planning in the context of PIM reform;

• the need to develop a career guidance system as a key condition for implementing the reform, which will help students in Grade 9 to make an informed choice about their future educational path and profession.

Nadiia Kuzmychova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, explained the vectors of state policy in detail. In particular, she focused on how to build a network of lyceums at the national, regional, and community levels so that it is both effective and accessible.

Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, presented the launch of the second phase of the Project and opportunities for communities to join initiatives aimed at developing democratic education, enhancing institutional capacity of communities, and creating a career guidance system for children and adolescents to ensure successful implementation of the reform.

Andrii Zalivskyi, Mayor of Sheptytskyi, presented the experience of practical implementation of the reform. He described how the community managed to form an effective network of educational institutions and establish a lyceum, despite initial resistance and misunderstanding of the changes on the part of the public.

The workshop also included study visits to the Oleksa Hirnyk Lyceum No. 1 in Bohorodchany and the DECIDE Career Guidance Hub in the Ivano-Frankivsk community, established on the basis of the Vocational Education Centre No. 1. Participants learned about practical solutions for transforming the education network and modern approaches to career guidance for young people.

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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