Significant Contribution of a BSPU Scholar to the Future of Quality School Legal Education

The New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform, which has fundamentally transformed the landscape of primary and basic secondary education, has confidently entered its final and most crucial stage — the transformation of upper secondary profile education. Today’s imperatives demand the development of qualitatively new educational content for grades 10–12, grounded in a competency-based approach, principles of differentiation and the requirements of the State Standard for Upper Secondary Profile Education. Within these systemic changes, the creation of modern educational and methodological tools — first and foremost Model Curricula — becomes paramount.

It is gratifying to note that a scholar from Berdyansk State Pedagogical University (BSPU) was among the pioneers in this process. A true breakthrough in domestic school legal education was the development of the first and, as of September 2026, the only Model Curriculum in Ukraine for the course “Jurisprudence. Upper Secondary Profile Education. Basic / Advanced Level” for general secondary education institutions.

The authoring working group was headed by V. O. Myroshnychenko, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences and Associate Professor at BSPU. The team of authors also included experienced Kyiv-based experts, scholars, and methodologists: S. O. Berendieiev, Yu. V. Bilai, R. I. Yevtushenko, and V. S. Serhiienko. The fruitful work of the authoring team earned high recognition at the state level: the curriculum officially received state approval — “Recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine” (Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine No. 1021, dated July 1, 2026).

The high practical value of this document deserves special emphasis. Without awaiting full-scale implementation in 2027, several innovative lyceums across Ukraine have already begun teaching school jurisprudence using this exact curriculum as of September 2026, within the framework of a national pedagogical experiment testing upper secondary profile education.

From didactic and methodological perspectives, the developed curriculum constitutes a comprehensive, logically structured, and flexible system designed for a three-year period of study (grades 10–12). It encompasses both basic and advanced levels, enabling educational institutions to build individualized learning pathways for students.

The structure of the course is meticulously designed and based on the principle of moving from general theoretical concepts to practical and branch-specific application:

• Grade 10 lays the foundational base: students study Section I “History of State and Law of Ukraine and the World”, Section II “Fundamentals of the Theory of State and Law”, and Section III “Constitutional Law of Ukraine”.
• Grade 11 is dedicated to the systematic mastery of public and private law, covering administrative, criminal, financial, environmental, civil, family, and commercial law.
• Grade 12 concludes the cycle with practice-oriented branches: labor, land, housing law, intellectual property law, as well as private, public, and humanitarian international law.

A distinctive feature of the curriculum is its Ukrainocentric approach, a cross-cutting inclusive component (highlighting aspects of protecting the rights of persons with disabilities), and responsiveness to modern challenges. Amid the armed aggression against Ukraine, topics concerning the defense of sovereignty, the study of international humanitarian law, mechanisms for restoring justice, and human rights protection are seamlessly integrated throughout the course content. Every section obligatorily concludes with practical sessions (case analysis, mock court trials, document constructors), shifting the focus from rote memorization of legal norms toward fostering action-oriented and value-based legal competence.

The developed curriculum carries a pronounced value-oriented focus, contributing to the formation of an anti-corruption culture, integrity, principles of sustainable development, barrier-free environments, and support for individuals with special educational needs within the educational space. Furthermore, it demonstrates a clear integration of legal norms with the subject “Defense of Ukraine,” reinforcing students’ readiness to safeguard sovereignty, human rights, and freedoms amidst contemporary challenges.

However, the development and approval of the model curriculum represents merely the first, albeit key, step. Understanding the needs of modern schools and the demands of practicing teachers, the authoring team led by Associate Professor Volodymyr Myroshnychenko is not stopping there. Currently, the scholars are actively working on the next crucial phase — the creation of comprehensive teaching and learning literature, specifically an educational and methodological manual on jurisprudence for 10th-grade teachers and students in profile secondary schools.

We are confident that the innovative achievements of our colleague and his team will make a significant contribution to building high-quality upper secondary profile education in Ukraine, fostering conscious, legally competent citizens, and confirming the high scientific and methodological potential of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University.

Department of Law, BSPU