Representatives of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine held a working meeting to discuss priorities for future cooperation and the next steps in implementing education reforms.

Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Andrii Butenko, DECIDE Project Manager Valentyna Poltorak, and component coordinators Larysa Zhabenko and Yuliia Molchanova took part in the meeting.

During the meeting, key areas for further cooperation were identified. These include the implementation of reforms of specialised secondary education, the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Vocational Education”, the development of a career guidance system for children and adolescents, as well as the reduction of red tape and the digitalisation of education management.

Andrii Butenko, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, thanked Switzerland and DECIDE project for their consistent support for Ukrainian education. He emphasised the importance of continuing to work together on solutions that help communities prepare for change and implement education reforms at national, regional, and local levels amidst a full-scale war.

Special attention was paid to the implementation of the reform of specialised secondary education in communities and the development of a capable network of academic lyceums. With the support of DECIDE, more than 680 communities across Ukraine have already received consultancy on these issues.

The implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Vocational Education” was also addressed. In particular, discussions focused on the development and implementation of new funding models for vocational education institutions and the continued support for the reform.

One more area of cooperation is the development of a career guidance system for children and teenagers. Nowadays, the national pilot project, supported by DECIDE, covers more than 500 communities across all regions of Ukraine.

The next stage will be to scale up the career guidance system. In particular, DECIDE plans to support the creation of more than 80 career guidance hubs, where children and teenagers will be able to explore the world of professions, gain practical experience, and receive support in choosing their future educational and professional path.

Further cooperation in the areas of reducing bureaucracy and digitising education management remains important. Specific mention was made of the development of AICOM 2 and the improvement of educational statistics and analytics.

Based on the outcome of the meeting, agreement was reached to continue coordination in the identified areas and to work together on the further implementation of education reforms in Ukraine.