Kyiv City Council Restores Transparency to Education: School Principals Will Once Again Be Selected Through a Competitive Process

The Kyiv City Council today approved a decision to reinstate competitive selection processes for the positions of heads of the city’s educational institutions. This move puts an end to the practice of non-competitive appointments, which had been in place in the capital since 2022.

This was reported by Oleksiy Ksenich, head of the NGO“Gray Corps.”

Why were the competitions put on hold?

After the start of the full-scale invasion, the Kyiv City Council adopted a resolution titled “Certain Issues Regarding the Appointment of Heads and Teaching Staff of Educational Institutions Under Martial Law,” which temporarily suspended competitive procedures. Martial law legislation did indeed allow for the direct appointment of heads of municipal institutions.

However, this model of “temporary” leadership without defined terms created management risks and eroded trust among teaching staff and the parent community.

The impetus for change came, in particular, from an official appeal by the civil society organization “Gray Corps” (led by Oleksiy Ksenich) to the Kyiv City Council’s Standing Committee on Education, Science, Youth, and Sports dated February 7, 2026. Activists emphasized that the law does not prohibit holding competitions during martial law if the security situation permits it.

“Holding competitions under such conditions is a manifestation of democracy, transparency, and fairness, as well as an effective safeguard against backroom deals and potentially unethical appointments,” the Education Ombudsman of Ukraine has repeatedly emphasized in his statements.

Kyiv remained for a long time among the communities that completely abandoned competitive selection, while other major cities in Ukraine—including Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Cherkasy, Lutsk, and Odesa—successfully adapted their procedures to the realities of martial law, organizing shelters and ensuring the transparency of the processes.

What will change now?

In accordance with the adopted decision and public demand, the capital will begin a phased return to a transparent personnel policy in the education sector:

• The Department of Education and Science of the Kyiv City State Administration is required to develop and publish a clear schedule and procedure for conducting competitions.

• All procedures will be conducted in strict compliance with safety measures and principles of transparency.

• The Kyiv community will be promptly informed of the dates for the actual start of the first competitive selection processes.

A return to the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Complete General Secondary Education” will ensure equal access to positions and guarantee that the capital’s educational institutions are led by truly the best and most motivated professionals.

As a reminder, the Kyiv City Councildid not support the decision regarding the metro extension to Troieschyna.

The Kyiv City Councilwants to take out a €1.5 billion loan to build the metro to Troieschyna.

The Kyiv City Councildid not support a moratorium on raising public transportation fares — Vitrenko.

Read us on Telegram and Sends