Public discussion of specialised secondary education reform held in Zhytomyr
On 2 December, territorial communities of Zhytomyr region came together to discuss the specialised secondary education reform. More than 180 participants took part in the event, including representatives of the Regional Military Administration, heads of communities and their deputies, educational managers and representatives of vocational education institutions.
Zhytomyr region has become the 18th region of Ukraine to host public discussions on the specialised secondary education reform with the founders of educational institutions. The event was organised by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in partnership with the Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE and the Zhytomyr Regional State Administration.
As a result of the discussion, 77% of the participants said they were ready to establish an academic lyceum on a cooperative basis if they could not have their own lyceum, and 95% of the participants were ready for such cooperation if they could have their own academic lyceum.
Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, stressed the importance of public discussions in the implementation of the secondary education reform. She noted the active participation of the communities and the high level of support for the reform in the regions, which created the preconditions for making effective decisions and ensuring the provision of quality educational services.
“The DECIDE project provides a platform for the government and communities to discuss in a dialogue manner the conditions for implementing the high school reform, taking into account the real situation on the ground. Together with KIIS, we conducted a sociological survey that demonstrated a high level of support for the reform in all regions. In particular, in Zhytomyr region, up to 80% of the heads of communities, education managers, heads of educational institutions, parents and students support the reform. This means that the ideas of the reform are quite clear and relevant, even despite the war.”
Public discussions are a key platform for informed decision-making, which enables us to take into account the needs of each community and create an effective network of educational institutions. This year, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Regional Military Administration and in partnership with the Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE, held discussions on the reform in 18 regions. The events were attended by more than 2,200 participants, including representatives of about 1,000 communities.