Ukraine Opens 25,000 Schools Under New Wartime Safety Rules as Teachers Get Additional 20% Pay Raise

Ukraine will open the doors of 25,000 schools on Tuesday, Sept. 1, with local authorities instructed to avoid mass events in areas at heightened risk of Russian attacks. In a statement ahead of the new school year, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi presented a detailed report from the Minister of Education and Science covering all matters related to the safety of the educational process, including meal arrangements, shelters, and pay increases for education workers.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Our task is to ensure that, despite the war, children have the opportunity to study safely and receive a quality education,” Koretskyi said. Shelter access expands School assemblies and other ceremonial events should be held only where local security conditions permit, taking into account shelter capacity and the ability to reach them quickly during an air raid, Koretskyi said, instructing authorities to make decisions locally, based on the risk of Russian strikes. More than 82% of children in preschool education and 83% of school students nationwide now have access to shelters, covering over 9,000 preschools and 11,000 general secondary schools. Meanwhile, Ukraine is building another 131 state-funded shelters, including 18 underground kindergartens. The projects are expected to raise shelter access to 87% of preschool children and students, with the government aiming to reach 92% by the end of 2027. “Last year, the figure was 77%. In 2022, it was 10%,” Koretskyi said, adding that the rate is considerably lower at universities and vocational education institutions, remaining at 68%. Out of 1,420 universities and colleges, roughly 965 have shelters. Other Topics of Interest Trump Envoys May Visit Ukraine as Diplomacy Remains Stalled; Russia Does Not Want Peace, Zelensky Says According to Ukraine’s intelligence assessments, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to continue the war despite mounting losses. Higher education institutions will independently determine the format and schedule of the educational process depending on their particular security situation, shelter capacity and the specifics of their academic programs. Depending on “the specifics of their academic programs, they may combine in-person, hybrid, and remote learning,” Koretskyi said. Frontline learning Education formats are expected to vary depending on local security conditions, particularly in frontline areas. In Odesa, Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and parts of the Dnipropetrovsk region, schools with basic shelters can provide hybrid learning to around 80% of preschool children and students, Koretskyi said. In the Zaporizhzhia region, the figure is about 72%. In the Kharkiv region, where security risks remain particularly high, hybrid learning is available only in underground schools and reaches about 30% of students. The Kharkiv region currently has 17 underground schools, with another seven expected to be completed at the start of the academic year. Though far from the frontline, Kyiv is frequently targeted by Russian forces, with strikes that particularly target civilian infrastructure, including schools. There, 528 kindergartens and 435 schools have shelters, providing access for 91% of preschool children and students. “Twenty-three kindergartens and 20 schools do not have their own shelters,” Koretskyi said. “For them, the educational process is organized in rented safe spaces.” According to the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Hanzha on Aug. 27, a new underground school shelter is being built in the Samar district, designed to accommodate more than 1,000 children. Textbooks and meals According to Koretskyi, Russia has deliberately targeted printing houses and textbook warehouses. “Therefore, if it is impossible to promptly print the required number of textbooks, students must be given access to their electronic versions,” Koretskyi said, adding that “this is a direct task for the Ministry of Education, working together with local authorities in each region.” Children’s meals also remain a priority, according to Koretskyi. If schools are unable to organize full, warm meals because of security restrictions, they must provide ready-to-eat meals instead. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the digitalization of education has helped thousands of Ukrainian schoolchildren overcome learning losses. However, authorities continue to work on ways to bring children back to in-person classes so they do not miss out on direct contact with teachers and classmates, as well as the general school experience. Teacher salaries rise Starting Sept. 1, teachers’ salaries will rise by another 20%, following a 30% increase earlier this year. The increase applies to the base salaries of teaching and academic staff, from which most additional payments and allowances are calculated. For teachers holding in-person classes in frontline areas, an additional payment of Hr. 2,600 ($58) will be retained. Koretskyi said Ukraine will also move away from the Unified Tariff Scale – the standardized public-sector pay system – and adopt a model that sets base salaries according to an educator’s position and a benchmark tied to Ukraine’s average wage.