The Ministry of Education, along with portals Osvitoria and Osvita.ua, provided details on how the educational process will adapt amid ongoing challenges.
Distance learning clarified
Recent legislative changes sparked misconceptions that distance learning would be curtailed.
In July 2025, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov announced the cancellation of Ministry of Education Order No. 1112, which had set stricter requirements for distance learning and drawn criticism from educators and the public.
Fedorov clarified that distance learning remains a key component, emphasizing, “Distance learning will not be abolished. Children’s safety is our top priority. We live in wartime, so distance learning will remain part of the education process, with quality as a priority.”
Osvitoria experts explained that the repealed order had imposed additional conditions for establishing distance learning classes, which were tested for a year and set to take effect Sept. 1, 2025. Its cancellation removes restrictions, allowing schools to form distance learning classes with as few as five students, rather than the previously required 20. Internally displaced students can continue distance learning at their original schools, regardless of their current location, without needing to enroll in local schools.
Learning formats for 2025/2026
Amid Russia’s ongoing war, Ukraine offers two main learning formats, each with subtypes:
Institutional learning (school-based):
- In-person
- Distance (online with a class)
- Blended (alternating in-person and online, or in shifts, if schools have shelters meeting safety standards for at least half the students)
Individual learning:
- External studies (students study at home, registered with a school, using school textbooks, consulting teachers, and taking exams)
- Family education (parents organize education meeting state standards, with students assessed four times annually; schools may recommend switching to institutional learning based on results)
- Pedagogical patronage (individual teacher support, with significant self-study)
The Ministry of Education prioritizes institutional learning, preferably in-person, through its “Offline School” program, aiming to return students to classrooms where safety allows while supporting quality distance learning in unsafe areas.
Underground schools and safety measures
About 15% of Ukraine’s students, mostly in frontline areas, study remotely, according to Osvitoria. This year, 160,000 students will return to in-person learning thanks to 15 new underground schools.
In addition, Ukraine has begun equipping approximately 220 underground educational institutions. Earlier, the Ministry of Education reported the need to organize 330 underground schools for 100,000 children in frontline and border areas.
Over 185 underground schools are expected by the end of 2025 and more than 200 by 2026, targeting 100,000 students in frontline and border regions.
Through the “Moya Fortetsia” project with UNICEF, Ukraine is building underground schools and educational spaces in radiation-proof shelters. The Ministry provides detailed guidelines on the “Moya Fortetsia” portal for equipping shelters, requiring them to be ideally in school buildings, accessible to people with disabilities, and compliant with regulations on flooding protection, structural integrity, ventilation, lighting, and fire safety.
Education for Ukrainian students abroad
Approximately 380,000 students study remotely in Ukraine, while over 360,000 Ukrainian children abroad continue education in Ukrainian schools online.
This opportunity for children whose families have moved abroad due to the war will be maintained and even expanded in the 2025/2026 academic year.
In August 2025, the Ministry updated its curriculum for students abroad, allowing them to study not only mandatory Ukrainian subjects (e.g., language, literature, history, geography, law) but also additional subjects like math, physics, or English, tailored to needs such as preparation for national exams.
This “Ukrainian studies” program reduces academic load for students attending local schools abroad while maintaining ties to Ukraine’s education system. Students can combine local in-person schooling with Ukrainian distance, family, or external learning.
Generally, the Ministry of Education recommends that Ukrainian children abroad study in person only at an educational institution in the country where the student resides. At the same time, it is possible to combine studying at a local school with one of the forms of education under the Ukrainian program (distance learning, family learning, external learning).
Education on occupied territories
In July 2025, the Ministry approved a new curriculum for students on temporarily occupied territories (TOT). Options include:
- Distance learning via platforms like the All-Ukrainian Online School
- Pedagogical patronage (individual teacher support)
- Family education
- External studies (accelerated learning with periodic school assessments)
Osvitoria notes that pedagogical patronage is considered the safest option for TOT students, offering flexible schedules and personalized teacher support.
This kind of support basically lets kids get an education on their own with some help from a teacher. This flexible format means a personalized schedule, connecting with a teacher when it's convenient, and adapting to the kid's safety situation and needs, says Osvita.ua. Therefore, students in the occupied territories can receive a Ukrainian education even when there is no regular opportunity to join online lessons in a normal school setting.
Weekly plans require at least 5 hours for elementary students, 8 for grades 5-9, and 12 for high schoolers. Teachers supporting such students receive workload credit. Families can apply through the Ministry’s website under “General Secondary Education Institutions” and contact school administrations. Transfer to pedagogical patronage is possible throughout the academic year — without any time restrictions. Students moving to Ukrainian-controlled areas can continue this program until the school year ends. Among other things, this program includes a Ukrainian studies component.
New subject introduced
Starting Sept. 1, 2025, eighth graders will take a mandatory course on Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy, expanding to ninth graders in 2026/2027. Previously piloted as an elective, the course includes:
- Grade 8 (17 hours): Financial well-being, planning, savings, banking, fraud prevention, employment, taxes, and philanthropy.
- Grade 9 (35 hours): Money’s evolution, banking systems, financial services, consumer rights, entrepreneurship basics, and a practical school entrepreneurship project.
The course aims to foster responsible financial management, goal-setting, and entrepreneurial skills.
School breaks for 2025/2026
Schools can set their own schedules, but recommended breaks are:
- Fall: Oct. 27–Nov. 2, 2025
- Winter: Dec. 27, 2025–Jan. 11, 2026
- Spring: March 23–29, 2026
- Summer: From June 1, 2026