How will secondary education in Ternopil region look like?

What will secondary education in Ternopil region look like? How can a system be built that offers students real choice? And how can these changes be implemented in practice, taking into account the specific characteristics of each community?

DECIDE Project experts — Ihor Melnychuk, Petro Hotsaliuk, and Khrystyna Duda — discussed the practical steps involved in these changes during a series of visits to the Ternopil City Council, Zborivska, Vyshnivetska communities, and Zbarazh City Council. The visits were dedicated to the reform of specialised senior secondary schools – the third stage of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform, which was launched in 2017.

Principals of educational institutions, heads of education authorities, representatives of local authorities and the parent community joined the discussion.

During the meetings, the key focus was not on the formal implementation of the reform requirements, but on establishing a viable network of academic lyceums, taking into account the number of students, logistics, staffing capacity, and the material and technical resources of educational institutions. In particular, the participants discussed how the state, local authorities, teachers, and parents can work not in parallel, but within a unified framework of change.

Key topics of discussion:

• defining profiles;

• developing inter-municipal cooperation;

• experience of communities that have already set up lyceums separate from primary schools and gymnasiums;

• as well as the participation of selected educational institutions in piloting the specialised senior school reform, which will be launched on 1 September 2026.

For example, even before the expert visit, Zborivska community received official confirmation that the lyceum in their community had been selected to pilot the specialised senior school reform.

Community leader Ruslan Maksymiv emphasises, ‘We are not simply complying with the reform requirements. Our task is to build a system that will truly work for the children. Education is the foundation of community development, for without a strong school there can be no strong community. That is precisely why we decided to set up a single academic lyceum, where a comprehensive educational environment for senior students will be created. Certainly, one of the most difficult steps was stopping enrolment into Grade 10 in some schools. But this was preceded by numerous meetings with parents and teachers, so we managed to explain the need for change and avoid social tension.’

In the future, the academic lyceum plans to introduce three study profiles within three clusters. Inter-municipal cooperation with neighbouring communities is also being actively developed. In particular, there is a preliminary agreement with Ozerianska community for partnership. Such cooperation between communities offers an opportunity to pool and effectively use shared resources to meet pupils’ educational needs.

Petro Hotsaliuk, DECIDE Expert on Local Self-Government, notes that in general, Ternopil region demonstrates an active readiness for change, ‘Although the deadline for reform implementation is 1 September 2027, many communities are already beginning to implement the changes required by law ahead of schedule. We provide recommendations tailored to the specific circumstances of each community. In particular, in Ternopilska urban community, we analysed demographic indicators, staffing and financial capacities, clarified the legal and organisational aspects of establishing or reorganising lyceums, as well as the principles of cooperation with universities. As a result, on 20 February, the Ternopil City Council approved a plan for the transformation of the general secondary education network for 2026–2027, which provides for the establishment of seven lyceums.’

Already, 25 communities in Ternopil region have benefited from the advisory support provided by DECIDE Project experts. If your community is also interested in a consultation, please submit an application via this link.

The Project team will contact you to agree on a suitable format for the consultation (online or an on-site visit by the expert team) and the time of the meeting.

DECIDE Project is implemented by NGO DOCCU and PHZH International Projects in Education with the support of the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation in Ukraine.

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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