Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal chaired a meeting on the completion of the 2022/23 academic year and the preparation of educational institutions for the academic year 2023/24.

“We are facing unprecedented challenges: destruction of educational infrastructure, massive displacement of children within the country and abroad, urgent need for shelter, destruction of Ukrainian education in the territories temporarily occupied by the Russians, and much more. We have to respond every day, around the clock. Because this is about the future of Ukraine. It is about its human capital, its ability to recover and develop,” the Head of Government stressed.

Denys Shmyhal stressed that in preparation for the next academic year, ministries and regional education authorities should focus on five priority areas: security, maximising full-time education where possible, accessibility, rebuilding what has been destroyed, and continuing the reform of the New Ukrainian School.

The Head of Government was briefed by Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko on the creation of a safe environment in educational institutions. According to the Minister, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the Ministry of Education and Science, has prepared amendments to the resolution on the inclusion of educational institutions of all forms of ownership in the police protection system, including the equipment with surveillance cameras, security consoles, etc. In addition, Ihor Klymenko noted that the security passport would be extended to all educational institutions in Ukraine.

Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, for his part, reported on the end of the academic year and the start of the admission campaign. According to him, almost 75% of schools have been provided with shelters.

“The Government has already allocated a subvention of UAH 1.5 billion to local budgets for providing safe conditions in schools. It is important to ensure that these funds are used effectively. The availability of civil defence facilities will allow us to resume full-time education and improve the quality of the educational process,” said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

At the same time, the Head of Government highlighted the need to create reliable civil defence structures directly at each educational institution and not to rely on the availability of shelters nearby.

According to the Minister of Education and Science, 36% of schools currently operate in a full-time format, 29% – online, and 35% – in a mixed format.

“We want to increase the number of educational institutions that provide educational services in person. At the same time, we will continue with the digitalisation of education and maintain distance education where there is a threat to the life and health of children,” the Prime Minister stressed.

The participants of the meeting also raised the issue of restoring damaged and destroyed educational institutions, and providing all institutions with textbooks, equipment and buses.

Following the meeting, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, and the Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development to develop and approve uniform parameters for the arrangement of shelters in all educational institutions and to audit existing ones.

In addition, the Ministry of Education and Science and the regional military administrations were instructed to take measures to improve the existing network of educational institutions and to identify institutions capable of providing full-time education during wartime. The Ministry of Education and Science and the regional military administrations should also continue to increase the stock of protective structures and improve the condition of access roads to educational institutions.