The reform of senior specialised education is changing the very structure of upper secondary school: instead of every school keeping years ten and eleven with a limited choice of specialisations, separate lyceums with a broader offer are being created. For small communities this can mean having no lyceum of their own.

The public consultation took place in the Borodianka community with the support of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project; it was reported by the Borodianka Settlement Council.

What the two communities are negotiating

Participants focused on the prospects of inter-municipal cooperation. In particular, they discussed the possibility of pupils from the Piskivka community studying at the Borodianka lyceum — and, no less importantly, the logistics of convenient transport for them.

Logistics usually decide the fate of such arrangements. Formal agreement between two councils is worthless if a child from Piskivka has to get up at five in the morning or travel with changes.

"Communities must join forces"

"The reform of senior secondary education is above all strategic planning and responsible decisions for the future. Communities must join forces already today so that, whatever the demographic challenges, children get quality education and a wide choice of specialisations," stressed Borodianka settlement head Oleksandr Sakharuk.

The mention of demographic challenges is not rhetorical. In communities that lived through occupation and the departure of residents, the number of senior pupils sometimes does not allow even one specialised class to be formed — and pooling resources remains the only way to offer a choice.

What comes next

The settlement head thanked the DECIDE project for its expert support and the representatives of the Piskivka community for an open dialogue. "I am convinced that partnership and mutual support are the key to the successful development of our communities and to quality education for every child," he said.

Consultations of this kind are meant to shape a shared vision for the education network. No specific decision or timeline is named in the announcement — for now the options are still being worked out.

Nota bene

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