On 21–22 January 2026, the Hoshcha settlement territorial hromada hosted a comprehensive expert visit by representatives of the Polaris Programme. Polaris experts Viacheslav Dolid and Olena Rusnachenko visited the hromada to conduct an in-depth assessment of the readiness of the local educational environment for the implementation of the upper secondary school reform and to support the development of a realistic vision for future governance and educational decisions at the hromada level.
The visit was designed as an integrated format combining direct engagement with students, management teams of educational institutions, and leadership of lyceums. This approach made it possible to obtain a holistic picture – from students’ expectations and concerns to the strategic visions of school administrations.
The Voice of Students: Readiness, Expectations, Choice
The first day of the visit was dedicated to working with students of the Hoshcha Academic Lyceum and Hoshcha Lyceum. Separate meetings were held with 9th and 11th grade students.
With 9th grade students, the experts focused on:
- readiness for educational changes and the possible transition to another educational institution;
- level of awareness of the upper secondary school reform;
- understanding of future educational pathways;
- fears, expectations, and barriers related to the transition to a specialised upper secondary school.
Meetings with 11th grade students were focused on another dimension of the reform – the quality of upper secondary education services and the alignment of the learning process with the real expectations of young people. Discussions addressed:
- the level of fulfilment of educational and professional expectations;
- students’ sense of preparedness for further education or professional choice;
- learning experiences in upper secondary school;
- demands for the quality of the educational environment.
Work with students made it possible not only to collect analytical data, but also to hear the authentic voices of young people – their visions of the future, educational needs, and perceptions of change.
Management Perspective: Positions of School Leadership
The second part of the first day was dedicated to meetings with school leadership. Separate working meetings were held with the principals of Hoshcha Academic Lyceum and Hoshcha Lyceum.
Discussions focused on: – leadership positions regarding the upper secondary school reform; – institutional readiness for transformation; – governance challenges associated with change; – human resource capacity; – material and technical infrastructure; – operational conditions of the institutions and their capacity for development within the new upper secondary school model.
The experts also familiarised themselves with the educational infrastructure, learning conditions, and organisational models of institutional management.
According to Viacheslav Dolid, an expert of the Polaris Programme, upper secondary school reform does not begin with documents and formal decisions – it begins with people: students, school leaders, educational teams, and managers:
“Our task is to hear the real expectations of children, their fears, motivations, and visions of the future, as well as the positions of school leadership. Only on this basis can we build a viable model of the hromada’s educational network – one that is not formal, but one that genuinely works to improve the quality of education and expand opportunities for children.”
The Educational Network of the Hromada: A Holistic Vision
The second day of the visit was dedicated to Tuchyn and Symoniv Lyceums. The working format fully mirrored the logic of the first day – combining engagement with students and management teams.
Meetings were held with 9th grade students of Tuchyn and Symoniv Lyceums, focusing on:
– readiness for educational change;
– the possibility of changing educational institutions;
– level of awareness of the upper secondary school reform;
– perceptions of their own educational pathways.
Separate meetings were held with 11th grade students, dedicated to:
– quality of educational services;
– alignment of the learning process with their expectations;
– level of satisfaction with learning;
– preparedness for further educational and professional choices.
In the second half of the day, the experts held working meetings with the administrations of Tuchyn and Symoniv Lyceums. Discussions covered governance issues, infrastructural capacity, human resource potential, and visions for future institutional functioning within the framework of the upper secondary school reform.
The visit of Polaris Programme experts to the Hoshcha hromada was not merely a series of meetings, but a comprehensive diagnosis of the hromada’s educational system in the context of the upper secondary school reform.
The data and insights gathered during the visit make it possible to:
- form an objective picture of institutional readiness for change;
- understand the real needs of students;
- identify governance and infrastructural challenges;
- define growth points for the development of the hromada’s educational network;
- lay the foundation for further strategic decisions at the level of local self-government.
This format of expert visits is a key instrument of the Polaris Programme in supporting hromadas in the implementation of reforms – through the integration of analytics, dialogue, field research, and joint strategic planning. It enables a transition from formal reform implementation to conscious, systemic, and sustainable change in the field of education at the local level.
