The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports is introducing the adaptation of curricula: now each school can change them according to the needs of its students
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES) has decided to make another innovation – to introduce the adaptation of school curricula. According to the ministry, this step is part of a large-scale reform aimed at ensuring that education remains accessible and of high quality for every Ukrainian student, regardless of the circumstances.
Deputy Minister of Education Andriy Stashkiv stated, that now each educational institution has the opportunity to change educational programs according to the needs of its students. This applies both to the number of hours allocated to the study of individual subjects, and to the integration of disciplines into more comprehensive courses. In his opinion, such flexibility is extremely important in the conditions of war, when children do not always have the opportunity to fully study according to the established schedule, especially in zones that are constantly exposed to shelling or located in front-line territories.
The MES believes that educational institutions can adjust the number of hours for studying those subjects where students have educational losses due to unforeseen interruptions in education. This can apply not only to basic disciplines, such as mathematics or the Ukrainian language, but also to subjects of the natural and scientific cycle, which often require more time to understand complex topics.
One of the key innovations was the introduction of integrated courses. This means that instead of two separate subjects, such as chemistry and physics, schools can introduce one integrated course, such as Science, which combines key aspects of both disciplines. This will not only reduce the load on students in terms of the number of subjects, but will also allow them to perceive science more systematically, understand the relationships between different fields of knowledge.
One example of such integration is the reform of history courses. According to Stashkiv, the Ministry of Education and Culture has developed the concept of integrating the “History of Ukraine” and “World History” courses, which will allow students to simultaneously study events in Ukraine and the world in a more contextual and interconnected format. This will greatly simplify the educational process, allowing students to better understand global historical processes, rather than studying them separately from events in Ukraine.
Similar approaches can be applied to other subjects. For example, the courses of chemistry, physics and biology can be combined into a single subject “Natural disciplines”. This will allow students to gain a comprehensive understanding of scientific phenomena, which often have common foundations in different sciences, and thus improve their overall understanding of science.
Another direction of reforms concerns the integration of foreign language and other subjects. For example, one of the proposed options is to study physics in English. This approach allows students to simultaneously develop their knowledge in the field of natural sciences and improve their foreign language skills. However, as Stashkiv noted, this will require a significant improvement in the qualifications of teachers, since teaching complex subjects in a foreign language requires considerable effort and preparation. Teachers must be ready to implement new teaching methods and standards, which places additional demands on them.
The MES pays special attention to Ukrainian students who ended up abroad because of the war. Abbreviated curricula have been developed for them, taking into account the specifics of their studies in different countries, where children are forced to adapt to new educational systems. These programs aim to help students stay connected to the Ukrainian education system, even if they are temporarily outside the country. According to the Ministry of Education and Culture, such adaptation allows to reduce the load on students and at the same time provide them with the necessary knowledge in the main subjects.
