The municipalities of the Prykarpattia region signed an agreement on inter-municipal cooperation regarding the joint financing of the Inclusive Resource Centre. Experts of the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast provided advisory support at all contracting stages.
The signing was initiated by the Halych municipality where the Inclusive Resource Centre operates. The Centre’s services cover four municipalities, Halych, Dubivtsi, BilshivtsiBilshivtsi and Burshtyn. It provides educational, methodical, consulting and rehabilitation services related to the inclusive education of children aged 0 to 18.
“This is one of the first inter-municipal cooperation agreements in the area of inclusive education in Ukraine. Heads of municipalities prove to us that they are ready to make important strategic decisions and join forces to solve common problems even in our difficult times. Furthermore, the inclusion and accessibility of education for all children is a priority for them,” said Maksym Chopei, Adviser on Decentralisation and Local Self-Government of the Regional Office in the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast.
The cooperation agreement provides for joint financing of the municipal institution “Inclusive Resource Centre of the Halych City Council” and will remain in force until 2025. The parties also agreed to develop a joint strategy for the development of inclusive education.
“The agreement will ensure continuous operation of the Inclusive Resource Centre. We have agreed that the municipalities will pay for services in proportion to their child population. In addition, the heads of the participating municipalities pledged additional funds for the further development of the institution. This will allow purchasing new equipment, expanding the scope of services, improving the infrastructure, etc.,” said Viktoriia Debenko, Deputy Head of the Halych City Council.
According to her, without the advisory support of the experts of the Regional Office of U-LEAD, going through all the contracting stages would be extremely difficult.
“We held several online meetings attended by representatives of all municipalities. U-LEAD experts comprehensively clarified the legal procedure for registration of our cooperation and helped us draft all the documents. We are grateful to the experts for their support and assistance in entering into this agreement. We would not have been able to do it without them,” said Viktoriia Debenko.