New Distance Learning Regulations During the War
The Ministry of Education and Science has announced new regulations governing distance learning amid the war.
This information was published on the Ministry's website, reports Ukrinform.
«The changes pertain to orders No. 1112 (dated August 7, 2024) and No. 1115 (dated September 8, 2020). These are part of the «Offline School» initiative aimed at ensuring quality education for every child, regardless of their location, whether in territories controlled by the Ukrainian government, occupied regions, or abroad», the statement says.
According to the ministry, the decisions regarding changes in distance learning organization are the result of systematic collaboration with communities and regions and take into account suggestions received during public discussions. «The approved changes are tailored to the needs and specifics of frontline and border regions», the Ministry assures.
Thus, the changes establish new norms for class sizes: a minimum of 20 students. However, reductions are allowed: down to 10 for schools in temporarily occupied territories, frontline areas, and villages; down to 15 for other cities. These requirements do not apply to special and specialized schools.
Schools may operate remotely even if one or two class sections are missing (for example, without the 7th grade).
Additionally, separate classes for Ukrainian studies will be implemented: students will learn according to a unified educational program within one class.
Children abroad can: study remotely only in Ukrainian studies (5-8 hours/week) if they attend a local school; study completely remotely if they do not attend a local school; or choose individual forms like external studies or home education.
For children in occupied territories, individual pedagogical support is provided. This includes individual instruction with teacher payment, even if there are no open classes in the school.
Moreover, if a child is in an area where fighting is ongoing or possible, they can continue remote learning at their school from which they evacuated. They do not need to transfer to another institution for online education. However, if it is possible to attend in-person classes with shelter available at the school, this remains a priority for students.
The Ministry is also introducing a reserve of teachers from frontline and affected regions. Teachers who might be left without a workload can undergo training while receiving an average salary. The reserve will apply to educators from Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Chernihiv regions. Relevant changes to the reserve regulations are expected to be approved by the government soon.
It is noted that all adapted changes regarding distance learning will be implemented starting September 1, 2025.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated 370 million UAH to regions for the arrangement of modern educational spaces and STEM laboratories.
