How can communities develop education effectively?

On February 11-12, Ivano-Frankivsk hosted the final stage of training for local government officials from territorial communities in the region in the format of a seminar-practicum "Education Development in Territorial Communities."

As part of her visit to Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, met with Svitlana Onyshchuk, Head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration, to discuss the implementation of Project initiatives in the region. Over four years of collaboration with DECIDE, more than 20 million UAH has been invested in the development of the region’s education sector. This support has enabled the implementation of several key initiatives, including:

– Strengthening youth engagement at the local level and enhancing community cooperation in education:

Implementation of the initiative "Public Budget for Children's Dreams" with a total funding of 2.2 million UAH.

Signing of nine intermunicipal cooperation agreements and implementation of grant projects under co-financing conditions to support inclusive education, professional development of educators, and the expansion of extracurricular education in communities, totalling 1.3 million UAH.

Support for the implementation of specialized secondary education reform:

– Designing a network of institutions to provide specialized secondary education in the region.

Promotion of vocational (vocational and technical) education and career guidance:

– Establishment of a Career Guidance Hub at Vocational Education Centre No. 1 in Ivano-Frankivsk as part of the "DECIDE: VET" initiative and training of career advisors.

Strategic Planning:

– Development of the Regional Education Development Strategy for 2023–2027, as well as community development strategies, community education strategies, and school development strategies in partner communities.

The event gathered 79 local government representatives from 46 territorial communities of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, including community heads, their deputies, and heads of education departments.

Over the course of two days, seminar participants:

– engaged in discussions with experts in education and local governance;

– exchanged experiences with communities from various parts of the region;

– explored best educational practices in the region.