“Representatives of pupils’ self-government are already the leaders! Although so far – the leaders at the school level, but later they will come to manage their hromadas, or even take on managerial functions in the state, emphasised Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, at the All-Ukrainian Online Lesson on Local Self-Government for 17 thousand pupils from all over Ukraine.

“Together with the ministries, hromadas and associations, we are currently changing the principles of governance in the state, entitling hromadas with new powers and financial resources, affecting primarily the human development index. And these changes make it possible for young people to apply their innovative managerial decisions on the ground,” said Hennadii Zubko.

The Vice-Prime Minister also focused on the reform of the New Ukrainian School, calling it a joint decentralisation success of MinRegion and the Ministry of Education. “We managed to build cooperation where the Ministry of Education is responsible for reforming education in schools (methodologies, environment, etc.), and MinRegion is in charge of infrastructure (transport, roads, etc.). And this synergy of efforts will enable children, regardless of their place of residence, to receive high-quality education,” he said.

It is worth reminding that the All-Ukrainian Lesson of Local Self-Government is being carried out within the framework of the Policy for Ukraine Local Self-Governance (PULSE) programme, implemented by the Association of Ukrainian Cities with the support of USAID. This year, 40 leaders of the pupils’ self-government of Kyiv were invited to the America House Cultural Centre.