“The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine called on general secondary education institutions to prepare in advance for possible long-term power outages in winter and to consider options for changing the organization of the educational process. This is stated in the departmental letter of the Ministry of Education and Culture, sent to the heads of education departments and published on the Osvita.ua portal. The MES explained that due to the risks of large-scale blackouts, the educational process should be as flexible as possible”, — write on: ua.news
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine called on general secondary education institutions to prepare in advance for possible long-term power outages in winter and to consider options for changing the organization of the educational process.
This is stated in the departmental letter of the Ministry of Education and Culture, sent to the heads of education departments and published on the Osvita.ua portal..
The MES explained that due to the risks of large-scale blackouts, the educational process should be as flexible as possible, and schools should be ready to quickly change the schedule of classes. Since the institutions have autonomy in forming the structure of the academic year, the Ministry proposes to analyze the schedule and approaches to the organization of education.
One of the recommendations from the Ministry of Education and Culture is to postpone part of the winter classes to June 2026 – with the exception of graduation classes. It is also proposed to increase the length of the winter vacation by shortening or postponing the spring vacation.
Other options include switching to a six-day week or teaching in two shifts, which will allow more rational use of natural lighting.
The MES also advises to consider asynchronous learning, which allows students to master the material without being tied to a stable power supply.
The Ministry emphasizes the importance of providing students with access to remote platforms and early download of educational materials for the period from November to February.
Pupils are recommended to issue printed textbooks or printouts that will allow them to continue their studies even without electricity and the Internet.
Schools should make wider use of the “All-Ukrainian School Online” platform and optimize consultations for students – by condensing the material or increasing the share of independent work.
The letter emphasizes the need to provide a single communication channel: messengers, Google Classroom or other online platforms. In case of interruptions of mobile communication, the information must be duplicated at the stands at the entrance to the school or sent by SMS.
Schools must create a supply of drinking and technical water, as well as products for long-term storage – for at least 48 hours of the children’s stay in the institution.
Each school should adapt the recommendations to the local situation. Before the start of winter, the administration should conduct training on actions during a blackout and work out all scenarios of training organization to ensure its continuity even in critical conditions.
We will remind, from September 1 in Ukraine closed schools with fewer than 45 students. In 2026, those with less than 60 will be closed.
Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation admitted the work of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) on providing schoolchildren with textbooks in 2025 is “unsatisfactory”.
