The end of October was an active period for the Education at the Local and Regional Levels area of the Swedish-Ukrainian Programme Polaris. Two hromadas – Sarny (Rivne oblast) and Khotyn (Chernivtsi oblast) – became spaces for dialogue, partnership, and joint action in developing quality education.
Khotyn: partnership, dialogue, joint steps
On 27 October, the Khotyn hromada officially joined cooperation with the Polaris Programme. The signing of a Memorandum of Partnership marked the beginning of a three-day working visit by experts – Oleh Fasolia, Tetiana Ozerova, and Viacheslav Dolid.
On the first day, the experts met with the hromada head and management team to jointly identify educational development priorities – optimising the school network, improving learning quality, and introducing modern management solutions.
Oleh Fasolia emphasised: “A complex and inefficient school network should not slow down the development of a hromada. Addressing these challenges is possible only through a systemic and democratic approach – which is the foundation of the Polaris Programme’s work.”
The second day focused on engaging students and parents. Tetiana Ozerova and Viacheslav Dolid conducted a series of workshops in Khotyn schools with 9th- and 11th-grade students, discussing specialised education, career choices, and individual learning trajectories. The day concluded with a meeting with parents of 8th–9th-grade students to discuss the reform of senior secondary education, the family’s role in supporting children’s choices, and career guidance.
On the third day, Tetiana Ozerova visited schools in rural areas of the hromada – Kruhlytsia, Bilivtsi, and Dankivtsi. These visits included interactive meetings with high school students and parents. A particularly heartfelt discussion took place at the Dankivtsi Educational Complex, where about 50 parents from nearby villages gathered for an open conversation about educational challenges and shared responsibility for their children’s future.
“We aim for educational changes in hromadas to be meaningful, based on real needs, dialogue, and trust among all participants – founders, managers, teachers, parents, and students,” emphasised Tetiana Ozerova, Polaris Programme expert.
Educational dialogue in Sarny: building a shared vision for senior specialised schooling
On 30–31 October, Polaris expert Viacheslav Dolid visited the Sarny urban hromada. The purpose of the visit was to establish systemic interaction among all participants in the educational process – managers, teachers, parents, and students. The focus was on reforming senior specialised education, shaping the school network, ensuring equal access to quality education, and supporting teachers’ professional development.
During the two-day visit, the expert met with education managers and teaching teams in key institutions – Sarny Lyceums No. 1 and No. 2, and the “Lider” District Lyceum. The discussions covered approaches to optimising the network, creating a modern specialised lyceum, and strengthening pedagogical capacity.
One of the days was dedicated to meetings with students and parents. Senior students shared their educational plans, career aspirations, and expectations from the new senior school. A separate meeting was held with student self-government representatives from all schools of the hromada, attended by the hromada head – where young people presented their vision for educational change in Sarny.
“It is from such sincere, open conversations – filled with faith in young people – that a shared vision of education as a coordinate system for community development is born,” noted Viacheslav Dolid, Polaris Programme expert.
Education as a shared architecture of development
The visits to Sarny and Khotyn hromadas show that educational reform at the local level is becoming a living process – built through dialogue, mutual support, and shared vision. Each hromada is shaping its own educational architecture – flexible, inclusive, and focused on the needs of children and the development of the community.
The Polaris Programme continues to support Ukrainian hromadas on their path toward creating modern, high-quality, and accessible education – an education that inspires, opens opportunities, and strengthens the hromada’s capacity as an integrated system.
