Democratic School Development

EWC supports reforms in secondary education by contributing to democratic institutional development of schools. The activities are based on the whole school approach and focus on strengthening democratic culture and fostering development of democratic competences at school.

305


Schools

150


School change projects

The work on school development in Ukraine is a continuation of the Schools for Democracy Programme (2015-2017), a successful national programme in education for democratic citizenship. It supports 240 schools in their democratic institutional development aiming at creating a safe and inclusive learning environment that could better foster democratic competences of students.

Project activities are designed to support introduction of sustainable and systematic democratic changes in three areas of school life: school governance and learning environment, teaching and learning, and cooperation with the community. The Project is implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and in partnership with the Center of Education Initiatives (Lviv). It is operated via a network of trainers organized into eight regional hubs each supporting up to 30 schools.

The project provides guidance, support and mentoring to schools through: 

  • intensive trainings for school teams – teachers, school heads, parents and community actors;
  • follow-up workshops at schools involving all key stakeholders – students, teachers, parents, school administration and local community actors;
  • school projects in one of the three areas of school development (teaching and learning, school governance and learning environment, and cooperation with the community);
  • national conferences and regional dissemination seminars for peer-learning and experience sharing with 800 more schools;
  • mini-grants scheme for strengthening local and regional cooperation between schools.
Students at the Pyadyky Stepan Melnychuk Lyceum school in Ukraine participate in staff meetings, run an active student council and turn their ideas into learning activities in the classrooms. See the inspirational story of how students, staff and parents developed their democratic competences after participating in the Schools for Democracy programme
Since participating in the Schools for Democracy program in 2016 the Melitopol School no#23 in Ukraine have transformed their school community. In this video, students, teachers and the school leader shows how they created a better school.

Our partners

Funded by

  • Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Project team

Khrystyna Chushak

Head Programme Coordinator Ukraine

Iryna Sabor

Head of Early Childhood and School Section