The year 2025 begins with loud statements about a breakthrough in the field of education, which promise further changes to the educational field of Ukraine. Reforms, promises, new approaches – all this sounds attractive, looks encouraging at first glance, but the deep essence remains unchanged. Instead of systemic renewal, the educational reality is more like an attempt to mask the crisis with a bright facade.
In recent years, it has become obvious that education in Ukraine does not need fragmentary changes, but fundamental solutions that would be able to eliminate deep structural problems. However, current reform plans are more like patching holes: new programs, textbooks, and technologies are implemented without addressing systemic weaknesses. This creates an illusion of progress that does not address underlying issues such as unequal access to quality education, overburdened curricula, and insufficient support for educators.
Educational innovations – 2025
Reforms change names, buzzwords like “digitalization”, “inclusion” or “STEM education” are added, but the essence remains the same: beautiful presentations that do not answer basic questions. How to teach children to think, and not to cram? How to prepare them for the real world, and not for mindless ticks on tests? And most importantly, who will do it if teachers are barely able to survive due to meager salaries and overwork?
We entered 2025 with a portfolio of reforms that have not learned to analyze past failures. Instead of solving problems, MES specialists “sow” loud statements and propose new strategies that do not bring positive changes. Let’s try to figure out what we are going into the new school year with and whether there is still time to fix everything.
Let’s start with the loud statement of the Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovoy, who called to solve the “colossal educational losses” by abandoning distance education. The Ministry of Education and Culture has planned to return 300,000 schoolchildren to their desks.
Regarding the low quality of distance education, the comments are quite fair. About the deterioration of subject knowledge among middle and high school students noted the following number of teachers: foreign language – 64%; in mathematics – 55%, in the Ukrainian language – 53%, in chemistry – 47%, in Ukrainian literature – 43%. In the conditions of distance education, only a third of teachers use active types of educational activities, such as work in pairs and groups. Most teachers offer passive forms of activity, such as viewing presentations, educational videos and independent processing of materials. We should not forget the fact that Ukraine is in a state of permanent hostilities. And this means that constant interruptions with light and the Internet, air alarms simply cannot but be noted on the quality of the educational process. That is, there really is a problem and everyone understands it perfectly.
The Ministry of Education and Science, together with the Office of the Special Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, launched the implementation of the “School Offline” project, the purpose of which is not only to return schoolchildren to full-time education, but also to ensure the conditions of organized education for various categories of students: both displaced as a result of hostilities, and those , who are in the temporarily occupied territories and abroad. The initiative was accompanied by the construction of shelters, underground schools, the purchase of buses and gadgets.
Everything is good on paper, but in practice pitfalls began to surface. The government allocated 2.35 billion subventions for the construction of shelters in the frontline regions. 57 projects received funding. However, the needs turned out to be much greater, as another 165 institutions must be provided with funds for the construction of shelters. By data ZN.UA has 10,111 shelters in Ukrainian schools. But currently, the Ministry of Education and Culture does not monitor the situation in schools where there are no shelters at all, and therefore cannot give a clear assessment of the extent to which educational institutions are equipped with shelters. And the shelters themselves do not inspire confidence. Cases were recorded when the ceiling collapsed in one of the Kyiv schools during an air raid, a wall collapsed in the shelter of another school, and in one of the schools in Cherkasy, the shelter turned into a swimming pool because the ceiling began to leak. In Sumy Oblast, during the air raid, students were generally left standing in the open due to the fact that the shelter of one of the schools was closed at that moment for repairs. The Ministry of Education and Culture has not yet formulated clear instructions on how to effectively evacuate schoolchildren to a shelter, which must be located either in the building of the institution or at a distance of no more than 500 m.
We are heading towards the European community, we talk a lot about an inclusive environment, but we do nothing to make it really so. It should not be forgotten that both before the war and during the war, the situation of children with special educational needs remains particularly difficult. By data According to state statistics, before the war there were 162.9 thousand children with disabilities in Ukraine. In 2024, there is a tendency to increase the number of persons with disabilities by 27,000. These children also have the right to education and building their own future. However, as a result of military operations, 31 boarding houses and 43 special centers were destroyed in 2023 alone. It is clear that shelters in educational institutions should be accessible to people with reduced mobility.
But for data research of the Charitable Foundation “Right to Protection”, it was established that almost all shelters have problems with free access to them for children with reduced mobility. Insufficient space for children in wheelchairs, lack of ramps, completely unsuitable toilets – all this makes it impossible for children with special needs to stay in such shelters. Here you have safe shelters that do not provide security at all.
If there is still no such shelter in the school, the deputies suggest that such educational institutions organize remote classes. But on the condition that these classes have at least 20 students of the same age. Education in such classes will be carried out according to two curricula. For children residing in Ukraine, the study of all basic subjects and optional subjects is provided. At the same time, only the program of the Ukrainian studies component is provided for students who are abroad and study in local schools. However, such remote classes do not provide for online lessons, which means that students will be left alone with all the subjects and difficulties that arise during their studies.
400,000 students, staying abroad, combine studies in local schools with distance learning in Ukrainian schools. Under the pretext of relieving children, the Ministry of Education and Culture offers only the program of the Ukrainian studies component for study. This is a shortened educational program that involves studying only those subjects that are not in the program of local schools abroad. Is it really possible to gallop through the rules of one’s native language, study the works of Ukrainian classics, or comprehend all the stages of the historical development of one’s native country? Such a step leads to the conclusion that native education is not so important. During private conversations, many parents whose children currently live abroad complain that their children do not receive adequate attention from Ukrainian schools. They simply receive tasks for control testing, remain isolated from communication with teachers and peers at home.
According to the new order, IDP children will not be able to continue their studies in a distance format in their schools in the new academic year. Now you have to go to school at your actual place of residence. And here a whole series of problems can arise. The need to adapt to a new team and establish contact with teachers in a new place is quite a test for the child’s psyche, which has already gone through painful stages. Some parents express fears about the appearance of bullying among children due to the difference in financial status. It is certain that all this will have a negative impact on the success of IDP children.
The situation of children who are in TOT is also difficult. About 1.6 million Ukrainian children still remain on the other side, that is, on the territory temporarily occupied by the aggressor, of which 615 thousand are of school age. For them, the possibility of distance learning in Ukrainian schools was the thread that connected them to their homeland. And here the state, with the easy hand of officials, turns its back on its people, saying that saving the drowning is the work of the drowning themselves. Such an attitude will only play into the hands of the Russian Federation.
We should not forget the fact that in Ukraine parents have the right to independently choose the institution and format of their child’s education, and the voluntary-forced demand for transfer to schools at the place of residence for full-time education is nothing more than a direct violation of the current legislation.
The government allocates 1 billion dollars of state subsidies for the purchase of school buses that will transport children to schools with shelters. It is likely that schools near the front have been working remotely all this time for a reason. After all, the front-line territories are under constant threat due to shelling. Most of the roads in such areas are destroyed. So how can the route to safe places of study be considered safe under such conditions? Common sense says no way.
After the opening of schools with shelters, the state promises to provide the necessary devices to children and teachers who will not be able to attend school offline. This practice was already carried out in 2022. According to the Ministry of Education and Culture, more than 128,000 students and 98,000 teachers are provided with laptops. Ukrainian schoolchildren who will continue to study remotely will be given used gadgets collected from educational districts and private companies in the USA, Great Britain and the EU. The Ministry of Education and Culture assures that each device will be thoroughly checked, cleaned from previous use, and the software will be updated. For some reason, after such news that our children will be forced to work on used equipment, some unpleasant feeling of second-rateness creeps into the soul. Can’t the state announce a tender among companies engaged in the production of digital devices to provide schoolchildren with new modern equipment?
Let’s not forget the no less difficult situation of the teachers themselves. In 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a resolution on the formation of a personnel reserve of teachers to ensure their work in the de-occupied territories. But the MES still does not have a vision of how this reserve will function. Neither the time of stay in this reserve, nor the method of payment for the work of teachers left without a load is regulated. And the position of male teachers in the conditions of mobilization is completely incomprehensible.
In general, the situation with personnel in the educational sphere is terrible now. According to experts’ estimates, as of 2024, the shortage of teaching staff is:
- primary education: 19,000 teachers in cities, 11,000 teachers in villages;
- natural sciences: in cities – 4.4 thousand teachers, in villages – 0.1 thousand teachers;
- mathematical sciences: in cities – 2 thousand teachers, in villages – 1.4 thousand teachers.
The lack of teachers is most felt in the front-line regions:
- Dnipropetrovsk region;
- Kharkiv Region;
- Zaporizhzhia region;
- Odesa region;
- Mykolaiv Region
Experts paint a not very optimistic picture – by 2030, the Ukrainian education system may lack 366,000 teachers. One of the most painful problems is the financing of the educational sphere. Teachers’ salaries often do not match the level of responsibility they carry. Today, teachers are forced to work multiple jobs to provide themselves and their families with a decent standard of living. This not only pushes away talented people from the profession, but also reduces the motivation of those already working in the system. As a result, the educational process suffers, because teachers, exhausted and disappointed, cannot fully realize their potential, and therefore leave the profession en masse.
The issue of excessive workload of schoolchildren has long been a cause for concern. Our children spend a lot of time in lessons and also in online learning. It is clear that preparing well for all lessons and completing homework in all subjects is not an easy task for our students. Starting in 2027, it is planned to remove from the list of compulsory subjects those that, according to officials from the ministry, are not important for Ukrainian schoolchildren. Instead, with the beginning of the reform of the senior specialized school, students of grades 10-12 will study 7 compulsory subjects:
- Ukrainian language
- Ukrainian literature
- History of Ukraine
- English
- Mathematics
- Physical culture
- “Defense of Ukraine”
But the “extra” items became:
- Foreign literature
- World history
- Civic education
- Biology/ecology
- Geography
- Physics and chemistry.
Specialists of the Ministry of Education and Culture assure that some of the disciplines that are subject to reduction do not disappear without a trace, but can be integrated into already existing subjects, which simplifies the educational process. Instead, we observe how the school curriculum is filled with subjects such as “Lessons of Happiness”, “Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy”, “Protection of Ukraine”. Of course, each subject in its own way carries a certain value for the younger generation. But you cannot simply delete the fundamental subjects that are a component of future professions and replace them with some artificial combinations.
A language issue
The language in educational institutions still causes great concern in society. By data research of the State Education Quality Service, less than 40% of students communicate exclusively in Ukrainian outside of school. About 20% are in Ukrainian and Russian equally. According to the respondents themselves, for them the use of Russian is either a habit (33%) or the language of communication in the family (20%). In response to such a problem, the Verkhovna Rada responded with registration draft law, which aims to prohibit participants in the educational process from speaking Russian on the territory of educational institutions even during a break.
However, we all understand very well that the forbidden fruit is always sweet. Bans have never been successful. A ban may draw attention to the problem, but not cause love for the mother tongue. Children and young people are not only listeners, but also creators of their own world. If they are simply banned, without explaining why it is important, if they are not offered an alternative, the ban will become a mere formality. Outside of lessons, they will still communicate in the language that is closer, more convenient or familiar to them. Instead, the popularization of the Ukrainian language through culture and the media can positively affect the process of Ukrainization.
The Ukrainian language should sound modern, fashionable and relevant. Whether it’s books, music, movies, or even streams on TikTok or Twitch, young people should see that the Ukrainian language is alive and can be a part of their daily life, and not just be associated with education. Children should communicate in Ukrainian not because forced, but because it is natural. Interest clubs, theater studios, debates or even computer games in Ukrainian can be a great solution.
People often use Russian because they don’t know how to say in Ukrainian what concerns modern realities – technology, games, IT or urban culture. We need a new Ukrainian that speaks simply, not academically.
Not everyone can switch to Ukrainian at once. This is a process, not a competition. The school should support, not humiliate. Let every child feel that his efforts to switch to Ukrainian are appreciated. The Ukrainian language should be presented as an asset, not as an obligation. Teachers can use interactive methods, in particular stories, games, technologies, so that Ukrainian is associated with interest and development. Only then will the process of Ukrainization succeed, because it will be a natural process, not a ban.
Intensive transformation of higher education
At the same time, an “intense transformation” is taking place, as Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Mykhailo Vynnytskyi called it, in higher education. According to officials from the Ministry of Education and Culture, the organization of branch-specific higher education is a relic of the Soviet system, so it is planned to optimize universities with the aim of reducing them to 100. But for some reason, the important element of academic integrity in European society is being overlooked by officials.
Already in 2023, the government has already approved the voluntary refusal of a scientific degree. But for some reason, despite the wave of plagiarism in the works of people known in scientific circles, only three refused the degree – Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovii, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation Serhiy Babak and one more, who wished to remain anonymous. So, we are observing a situation where the mechanism of voluntary refusal simply does not work, because there is no legal mechanism of punishment for abuse and compensation of state budget costs for multi-year additional payments for a scientific degree.
If we rely on the experience of foreign countries, then only the suspicion of plagiarism forces a person to resign. And in our country, such persons continue to fulfill their obligations and even receive cash supplements. In Ukraine, the situation with the purchase of theses and scientific works is not news for a long time. On certain sites, you can order a candidate’s thesis in the range of 7-12 thousand. USD, and doctoral – 15-25 thousand. dollars There will be no plagiarism in such works, because the performer cares about his reputation in the market. So we have a serious problem that has not been solved yet.
We cannot build the education of the future using the methods of the past. It’s 2025, and we’re still plodding along, looking at problems through the prism of ineffective reforms. The Ministry of Education and Science should finally wake up and understand: the rake is not a tool for development, but a symbol of our infinite inertia. It is enough to patch holes with loud reforms that do not change anything, but only kill education. The great Kobzar wrote “and learn from others, and do not shy away from your own.” Therefore, foreign experience can be useful, but you should also respond to the realities of your society. If we continue to ignore the shortcomings and invent universal solutions for everyone, we risk losing not only time, but also a whole generation of educated people.
