About 240,000 Children To Start First Grade In Ukraine, 10% Fewer Than Last Year

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Iryna Borzova, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Youth and Sports, said this in a televised interview, Ukrinform's correspondent reports.

“In the new academic year, 3 million children will attend Ukrainian schools, and approximately 240,000 boys and girls will start first grade. Unfortunately, this is 10% fewer than last year,” Borzova said.

She noted that schools are permitted to operate in person only if they have a bomb shelter.

“As of today, 11,375 educational institutions will operate in person and have shelters,” Borzova said.

Read also: Education Ombudsman urges schools and parents to cancel September 1 ceremonies

At the same time, she said it was impossible to accurately predict the number of students who would study in person because of air-raid alerts.

According to her estimates, approximately 2.2 million students will study in person, while another 700,000–800,000 will study in a blended format. About 200,000 students living in frontline areas will study entirely online.

Another 400,000 Ukrainian schoolchildren living abroad will also study remotely.

According to Borzova, 95% of schools in Kyiv are ready for in-person classes, based on data from the city authorities and the Ministry of Education and Science. At the same time, she stressed that parents have the right to choose the learning format.

“Parents have the right to choose the learning format. If they believe that there is currently a danger to their child and that attending school in person is not possible, even if the school has a shelter, they can submit an application to transfer their child to remote learning. The child's place at the school will be retained,” Borzova said.

According to her, individual educational institutions will decide whether to use in-person, remote, or blended learning.

Read also: How much does it cost to prepare a first-grader for school?

As Borzova noted, UAH 5 billion was allocated from the state budget in 2026 for the reconstruction and construction of new shelters. This year, 113 such facilities have already been built or renovated. Another 20 facilities are currently being prepared for commissioning.

According to Borzova, more than 840 mobile shelters have been installed at schools in 49 frontline communities. Metro schools and underground educational facilities are operating in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. There are currently more than 100 such facilities in total.

As Ukrinform previously reported citing the Kyiv City State Administration, the capital has considered various possible formats for organizing the educational process in schools, ranging from holding classes in shelters to remote learning. The possibility of running a second shift is also being considered.

Photo for illustrative purposes

MENAFN31082026000193011044ID1111603710