The New Academic Year in Ukraine: Changes and Challenges
September 1 marked the beginning of a new academic year for 3.5 million children in Ukraine.
Out of these, nearly 2.3 million will study in person. The number of students engaged in distance learning has decreased by 103 thousand compared to last year, as reported by Prime Minister Yuliya Svyrydenko.
The head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation, Serhiy Babak, noted that 10% of Ukrainian students are studying remotely or through other formats, as they are either abroad (about 303 thousand) or in temporarily occupied territories (over 35 thousand students).
This year, around 12 thousand schools will operate in Ukraine. Of these, over 8 thousand will offer in-person learning, 2.5 thousand will provide a mixed format, and another 1.5 thousand will conduct classes remotely.
Earlier, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Nadiya Kuzmychova stated that the majority of children learning remotely are still students of schools in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions.
Currently, there are 56 relocated schools operating in Ukraine, reported Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi.
“Today, 4 relocated schools from Donetsk are opening their doors for children in new cities. Overall, 56 relocated schools across the country mean that children remain part of their school communities,” wrote the head of the ministry.
Yuliya Svyrydenko also mentioned that by the end of 2026, 203 new shelters in schools are planned to be opened in Ukraine.
Earlier, Nadiya Kuzmychova reported that there are currently 221 underground schools being constructed in Ukraine. From September 1, 33 of them will open, and by the end of the year, another 156 facilities are expected to be completed, allowing more than 100 thousand children to return to classrooms.
