As the new academic year begins, 88% of the 3.5 million Ukrainian students will be learning in traditional or blended formats. About 400,000 students will receive education remotely.

This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Nadia Kuzmychova, during a telethon.

She mentioned that the majority of children studying remotely either reside in conflict zones or have relocated but remain students of schools in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

At the same time, eight educational institutions in Kherson will operate in traditional and blended formats starting from September.

Nadia Kuzmychova identified the "development of safe educational environments" as a "strategic priority," particularly concerning shelters in schools. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Education and Science, the construction of 221 such facilities is ongoing in Ukraine, with an allocation of 11.2 billion hryvnias.

Moreover, starting in September, 32 underground schools will be operational in Ukraine, allowing students to learn fully rather than just stay safe during air raid alerts.

"Zaporizhzhia region is a leader in the number of underground schools, with eight already opened, which serve as the base for even more educational institutions.

We anticipate rapid openings in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions. These are areas with a significant number of facilities being built with funds from the state budget subsidy," added the Deputy Minister.

The Ministry of Education predicts that by the end of 2025, 156 such facilities will be completed, accommodating over one hundred thousand children.

As a reminder, in Kharkiv, seven underground schools will be operational at the beginning of the academic year. Additionally, six metro stations have been repurposed for student learning.