On 16 October, the Polaris Programme held an online webinar “Specifics of Organising General Secondary Education in an Individual Format”. The event gathered around 150 participants – heads of local education departments, school principals and deputy heads from across Ukraine – providing a platform to discuss practical aspects of organising individual learning.
The main goal of the webinar was to clarify the specifics of organising the educational process in individual formats, including external studies, family-based learning, and pedagogical patronage. Participants received expert guidance on record-keeping, documentation, and payment procedures for teachers providing individual education.
Forms of Individual Learning
Polaris education expert Serhii Diatlenko presented the different forms of individual education and focused on the grounds for transferring students to family learning or pedagogical patronage. He stressed the importance of individual education plans and clear procedures for school management, noting that during martial law, decisions on transferring students to family learning can be made without a pedagogical council, based solely on a parent or guardian’s request.
“Individual learning is not about formalities – it’s about creating conditions for the continuous education of every child,” said Serhii Diatlenko.
During the discussion, Polaris education expert Tetiana Ozerova addressed the issue of organising individual learning for children living abroad during the war or in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. She emphasised the need to ensure individual learning trajectories for children affected by the war and to establish mechanisms for assessing and recognising their learning outcomes.
“It is essential to assess and recognise results achieved in foreign schools and to support children returning from abroad in reintegrating into Ukrainian schools,” explained Tetiana Ozerova.
Addressing Challenges for Children Affected by War or Returning from Abroad
Participants discussed the challenges faced by children who studied abroad and returned to Ukraine without proper documentation of their learning outcomes. Experts provided examples and practical solutions to ensure learning continuity, including the use of external study formats for obtaining official Ukrainian education certificates. The discussion also covered the implementation of a standard education programme for children from temporarily occupied territories and the role of pedagogical patronage in supporting such students.
Forms of Education, Subvention and Inclusion
The webinar also covered broader issues, including the organisation of external learning, pedagogical patronage, and other institutional forms of education. Experts clarified that all students of an educational institution, including those on individual learning, are included in the formula for calculating the education subvention. Therefore, teachers’ pay depends on accurate time tracking and correct calculation of activities according to the Regulation on Individual Learning. Students enrolled in external studies may also receive a certificate with honours based on their annual assessment results.
Tetiana Ozerova additionally highlighted the specifics of organising pedagogical patronage for children with special educational needs and providing correctional and developmental services through inclusive resource centres.
Record-Keeping, Consultations and Technical Aspects
The webinar also addressed the keeping of individual learning journals, maintaining student files, and dealing with technical issues related to electronic record-keeping. Tetiana recommended that schools communicate with electronic journal developers to request necessary adjustments.
The Polaris webinar provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of how to organise individual learning effectively and helped identify practical solutions to the challenges faced by schools and hromadas.
“Successful organisation of individual learning is based on flexibility, digital tools, and supporting every student – regardless of their life circumstances,” summarised Serhii Diatlenko.
