Discussion “Challenges of the new 2026/2027 academic year. Readiness for the implementation of the reform of specialised senior secondary schools” held

August 17, 2026

On 12 August, a discussion “Challenges of the new 2026/2027 academic year. Readiness for the implementation of the reform of specialised senior secondary schools” was organised during the general meeting of the All-Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities.

More than 100 community leaders from all regions of Ukraine attended the general meeting of the Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, Vitalii Bezgin, Oleksandr Korinnyi, representatives of the Government and Members of the Ukrainian Parliament, Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, as well as international partners and experts from the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project.

During the event, a panel discussion “Challenges of the new 2026/2027 academic year. Readiness for the implementation of the reform of specialised senior schools” was held, organised in partnership with DECIDE.

The key speakers included:

Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager;
Andrii Vitrenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine;
Kostiantyn Kovalchuk, Deputy Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine;
Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko, President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Council;
Maryna Arkhirii, Deputy Head of the All-Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, Head of the Odesa Regional Branch of the All-Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, Head of Krasnosilska community in Odesa region;
Yurii Stalnychenko, Secretary of Mena City Council in Chernihiv region, Head of the Chernihiv Regional Branch of the All-Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities.

The panel discussion was moderated by Larysa Zhabenko, DECIDE Coordinator of Component 1.

The discussion focused not only on qualitative changes for schoolchildren, but also on issues relating to educational infrastructure, road repairs, the procurement of school buses, and the refurbishment of boarding facilities.

Key issues raised during the panel discussion:

The readiness of the state and communities for the new 2026/2027 academic year in the context of security, energy, and infrastructure challenges.
Preparation for the implementation of the reform of specialised senior secondary schools from 1 September 2027, in particular the establishment of a capable network of academic lyceums and the roles of the state and local governments in this process.
Ensuring high-quality yet accessible specialised education, particularly for children from small, remote, frontline, and temporarily occupied territories.
Development and modernisation of educational infrastructure, including opportunities for its restoration, attracting investment, and prospects for using EU structural funds.
Organisation of school transportation and transport accessibility to academic lyceums, in particular the need to develop and repair the relevant road infrastructure.
Practical preparation of communities for the transformation of the education network: audit of the network, staffing and resource provision, logistics, communication with teachers and parents, as well as finding solutions for communities unable to establish their own lyceum.
Support for communities in implementing the reform, including expert and resource assistance to communities participating in DECIDE Project in preparing for the launch of specialised secondary education, fostering cooperation between communities, providing advisory support at all stages of the transformation of the network, and developing initiatives for future academic lyceums.
The role of education in preserving human capital and securing the future of young people in Ukraine – creating conditions in which young people will see prospects for studying, gaining a profession, building a career, and remaining in Ukraine, in particular through the development of a career guidance system for children and adolescents.

Based on the results of the discussion, the participants agreed to strengthen coordination between the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine and other stakeholders, as well as to develop proposals to address the challenges involved in implementing the reform of specialised senior secondary schools.

In particular, within the framework of DECIDE, analytics will be developed on the need to modernise infrastructure at the request of the Government.

To view the photo gallery, click on the photo.