Ukraine sets national rules for schooling during prolonged air raid alerts
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has adopted a decision on how schools should organise learning during extended air raid alerts, announced by Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi on 15 October. Each school will choose its own model — classroom, shelter-based, or blended in-person and distance learning — based on local security conditions and shelter capacity, with certain core subjects prioritised when space is limited.
Key points
- Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced the Cabinet's decision on school learning rules on Thursday, 15 October.
- Each school will independently choose its learning model based on the security situation and the capacity and condition of its shelter.
- Lessons may be held in classrooms, in shelters, or by combining in-person and distance learning formats.
- If shelter space cannot accommodate all classes in person, priority goes to mathematics, natural sciences, language and literature, civic education, and history; other subjects may be taught remotely.
- School shelters used for in-person learning must be equipped for prolonged stays, with study spaces, lighting, backup power, internet, and proper sanitary conditions.
- Communities (hromadas) are required to help schools find and equip additional shelters beyond school premises.
- The Ministry of Education and Science will monitor compliance with these requirements monthly, and presence in a shelter during an air raid is mandatory for children and teachers.
Why it matters
The decision creates a nationwide framework for keeping schools open — in some form — even when air raid alerts make normal classroom use unsafe. It leaves day-to-day choices to each school and community while imposing minimum shelter standards and monthly oversight by the Ministry of Education and Science. For parents, the rules promise advance, predictable information on schedules and formats; for students, they prioritise a defined set of core subjects for in-person teaching when shelter space is tight.
What happened
On 15 October, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced a Cabinet of Ministers decision on organising the educational process during prolonged air raid alerts. Each school will choose independently between classroom-based, shelter-based, and blended in-person/distance learning, depending on the security situation and the capacity and condition of its shelter. School schedules must be flexible and predictable so that parents can plan ahead, and parents must be told in advance how learning will proceed.
When shelter space is insufficient for all classes in person, priority is given to mathematics, natural sciences, language and literature, civic education, and history; other subjects may be taught remotely. Communities (hromadas) are required to help schools consider additional equipped shelters beyond the school itself. Shelters used for in-person learning must be equipped for prolonged stays of children, with study spaces, lighting, backup power, internet, and adequate sanitary conditions; the Ministry of Education and Science will check compliance monthly. Staying in a shelter during an air raid is mandatory for children and teachers.
The national decision follows a Kyiv-level approach already in use, under which each principal designs a model around shelter capacity, staffing, and parental expectations. The Kyiv City State Administration had also said earlier in the week that students would be moved to distance learning if electricity or water supplies were unavailable.
Where reporting differs
Ukrainian sources differ only in the spelling of the Prime Minister's surname, with some writing 'Koretsky' and others 'Koretskyi'; the substance of the Cabinet's decision is reported consistently across outlets.
Background
The Cabinet decision was announced by Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi via the government portal on 15 October. It builds on a Kyiv-level approach that already let each school principal set their own model, taking shelter capacity, staffing, and parental expectations into account. Earlier the same week, the Kyiv City State Administration said that students would be switched to distance learning if electricity or water supplies were unavailable, until the necessary conditions were restored.