Throughout December, the education area of the Polaris Programme focused its work with hromadas on a key stage of the reform – the transition to upper secondary specialised education and the development of individual learning pathways for students. The working visits to the Khotyn hromada in Chernivtsi oblast, the city of Chernivtsi, and the Rava-Ruska hromada in Lviv oblast clearly demonstrated how essential open communication between schools, parents, students and local authorities is for the success of these changes.
Khotyn and Chernivtsi: a focus on student needs and management decisions
Polaris Programme expert Tetiana Ozerova conducted a series of meetings in the Khotyn hromada and in Chernivtsi from 9 to 11 December, combining analytical, managerial and communication work. The main objective of the visit was to support hromadas in implementing the upper secondary school reform and in making informed management decisions based on real data and students’ needs.
In Khotyn, the expert analysed indicators of the school network and prepared the hromada for a simulation game on optimising the education network – a practical tool that helps explore possible development scenarios for lyceums and supports strategically balanced decision-making. At the same time, a dedicated focus was placed on students and their educational pathways.
Ninth-grade students reflected on their future profile choices, openly discussing the opportunities and challenges they associate with specialised learning. They shared their expectations of school today and what helps them move forward along their educational path. Eleventh-grade students spoke about the quality of education now and how they envision the school of tomorrow. Their proposals, ideas and reflections showed them to be mature interlocutors, ready to think strategically and take part in shaping the future model of schooling.
Meetings with parents in the hromada provided a space to explain upcoming changes in upper secondary education and to answer the most common questions about profiles, subject choices and the formation of individual learning routes.
According to Khotyn Mayor Andrii Dranchuk, the hromada is consistently working to ensure that school education meets contemporary demands: “We are working together to make education in the Khotyn hromada modern and strong, aligned with today’s realities and focused on children’s needs.”
The final stage of the visit was a day in Chernivtsi dedicated to surveys of 11th-grade lyceum students. The collected data will form the basis for decisions on the future functioning of the city’s academic lyceums and will help identify the real expectations of upper secondary students.
Summarising the outcomes of the trip, Tetiana Ozerova emphasised the central role of students themselves in the specialised education reform: “Familiarisation with the reform should begin with those for whom it is designed. Every child has their own path to success, so the choice of an educational trajectory must be individual. The Polaris Programme helps students understand their path towards a profession.”
Rava-Ruska: dialogue with parents and support for network optimisation
In parallel, on 12 December, Polaris Programme education expert Olena Rusnachenko held an open meeting with parents and representatives of municipal education institutions in the Rava-Ruska urban hromada. The event became a platform for an open, professional dialogue about the future of upper secondary education and educational choices after completing Grade 9.
The discussion brought together the Deputy Mayor of Rava-Ruska City Council for executive bodies, Marian Svirniuk, Head of the Education Department Hanna Bohush, Deputy Head of the Education Department Nataliia Khomei, heads of education institutions in the hromada, and representatives of the parent community.
The meeting focused on the key aspects of the upper secondary specialised school reform – its content, the logic of change and the implementation timeline. Participants discussed in detail possible educational pathways for students after Grade 9, criteria for profile selection, the role of future academic lyceums, and the issues that currently concern parents the most.
“Meetings with parents are of particular value, as this is where a shared vision of the future of education in the hromada is formed. No decision on reforming or planning the education network can be effective if it is made without dialogue, trust and cooperation with the parent community,” Olena Rusnachenko noted.
Parents had the opportunity to ask questions and receive clear answers regarding their children’s prospects, while the hromada received professional support in optimising the education network and making balanced management decisions.
Why these visits matter
The partner hromadas visited are at different stages of implementing the reform, yet they share a common need – to make informed decisions based on data, experience and the real needs of students. The education area of the Polaris Programme continues to work with hromadas to make the reform understandable and opportunities accessible. After all, quality specialised education begins with quality communication.
