Over the past two years, funding for education and science has increased by 35%, rising from UAH 143 billion to UAH 194 billion. This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a meeting of the Cabinet on 18 March.

“The development of Ukrainian education remains one of the key priorities in our work. In the fourth year of the full-scale war, we have not only maintained an orderly educational process, but also adapted it to the realities of wartime,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the Government’s attention was focused on five key areas.

The first one, according to Denys Shmyhal, is a comprehensive policy of “school offline”.

“More than 100,000 children have returned to full-time education since last September. We aim to bring this figure up to 300,000,” the Prime Minister stressed.

According to him, UAH 6.2 billion has been allocated this year for the construction of school buildings, and UAH 3.8 billion has already been distributed to communities for the implementation of 60 projects. In addition, UAH 1.6 billion has been allocated for the purchase of more than 600 school buses, which will ensure children’s access to education and support the domestic automotive industry, as the vehicles will be purchased from Ukrainian manufacturers.

The New Ukrainian School is also in focus. Over the past two years, funding for this reform has been increased by 50%, and this year’s NUS budget exceeds UAH 2 billion.

“We are creating the basis for the ‘profile’ reform. Starting from 2027, students will be able to choose their study profile. This is a way to make a conscious choice of profession. We have recently allocated UAH 500 million for material and technical equipment for schools. Educational institutions must have the means and technologies to ensure profiling,” said Denys Shmyhal.

In addition, the Prime Minister stressed that in 2025 the Government would continue and expand the programme of free school meals.

“More than 1.6 million children in grades 1-4 receive free meals. Funding of over UAH 2.8 billion has been allocated for this purpose. The ambitious goal is to extend this practice to all students. In particular, starting from September, it will be extended to schoolchildren in the frontline regions,” he said. According to Denys Shmyhal, the Government will allocate UAH 1.2 billion to modernise canteens, which will be renovated according to three innovative models: a basic kitchen, a hub kitchen and a factory kitchen.

Another area of focus for the Cabinet of Ministers is the development of vocational education. According to the Prime Minister, about 100 workshops have already been equipped, of which more than 30 have been launched this winter. In 2025, UAH 540 million has been allocated to open up to a hundred more workshops to train professional staff for the reconstruction of Ukraine and create new opportunities for IDPs and everyone else.

Support for those who teach and educate young people today is an important focus of the Government’s work. According to Denys Shmyhal, this year’s salary fund for teachers amounts to UAH 115 billion. About 500,000 educators receive additional monthly payments of UAH 1,000, and the amount of additional payments will double from September. Funding is also provided for teacher training.