More than 2 million students have started the school year in an offline format, with another million in a blended format. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this during the regional educational forum "Creating the Future Together" in Zaporizhzhia.
Today, over 10,000 schools are operating offline. However, the President emphasized that some communities, due to their proximity to the frontlines or the Russian border, are still unable to return to in-person learning.
"But we are doing everything possible to enable as many schools as possible to operate. The security component is the foundation of our new policy to guarantee educational opportunities in Ukraine," said the President.
First of all, it is about the availability of shelters, which allow schools to operate offline. This applies to the regions bordering the combat zone and to the entire territory of Ukraine that suffers from Russian strikes.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the government has clear directives on building shelters and providing schools with buses. Initially, transport will be delivered to frontline and border regions, but the ultimate goal is to cover all of Ukraine.
Additionally, the Ministry of Education and Science, in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and local communities, must fully implement the "Safe School" program. This includes police patrols, metal detectors at entrances, and rapid response to any incidents.
Furthermore, the President noted that Ukraine is developing a program to guarantee free meals for children from first to fourth grade. The Ministry of Education and Science has allocated UAH 5.8 billion to implement this initiative through a subvention.
