2025 in Review: Changes in Access to Ukrainian Education for Children and Young People in the TOT
The year 2025 became a turning point in terms of access to Ukrainian education for children and young people in the TOT. This year was marked both by high-profile orders issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine that sparked public debate and concern within civil society, and by clear, decisive steps aimed at supporting those in difficult circumstances who are forced to remain in the occupied territories.
We clearly observe Russia’s intent to deprive young Ukrainians of any opportunity to study according to Ukrainian standards. Access to Ukrainian online resources continues to deteriorate, and even VPN services can no longer function effectively. Persecution of young people with pro Ukrainian views is expanding and in some cases may even result in punitive psychiatry. Under such conditions, studying in Ukrainian educational institutions can be considered an act of courage. Ukraine, in turn, must redouble its efforts to ensure access to Ukrainian education for those who seek it.
What has been happening in the area of access to secondary education?
First of all, public concerns regarding the urgent repeal of Order No. 1112 of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine “On the Approval of the Procedure and Conditions for Obtaining General Secondary Education in Institutions of General Secondary Education under Martial Law in Ukraine” were taken into account, as its implementation risked having destructive consequences for participants in the educational process. In particular, the Order threatened the closure of schools that had continued to maintain contact with children in the TOT through Ukrainian education. Ultimately, the Order was recoked.
A particularly telling step was the approval of the Order “On Approval of the Standard Educational Programme for the Provision of Complete General Secondary Education to Persons Who Reside or Have Resided in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine”. The Standard Educational Programme for persons from the TOT is not only a gesture of support towards people from the TOT, but also a real opportunity for children to join the Ukrainian education system in a simplified format. Under this programme, they may study only subjects from the Ukrainian studies cycle, while the security situation and difficulties in accessing online resources are taken into account during the learning process. In addition, persons who have only recently moved from the TOT to government controlled territory are able to complete the academic year under this programme, allowing for a smoother adaptation.
Although this Standard Educational Programme is a significant advantage and can work well for children, it does not address the situation of young people who have already completed secondary education in the TOT and require recognition of their learning outcomes and the issuance of an appropriate certificate in order to continue their educational pathway or begin a career. For such persons, and in fulfilment of Article 40 1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Education”, it is necessary to develop and approve a Procedure for the Recognition of Learning Outcomes Obtained in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine at the level of complete general secondary education. Unfortunately, this statutory requirement has remained unimplemented for two years. Despite assurances by representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science that such a procedure would be approved by November, including statements made at this year’s “Serpneva 2025” conference, as of the date of writing this material no such order has been adopted.
What developments occured at the levels of vocational, professional pre-higher, and higher education?
In 2025, the Law of Ukraine “On Vocational Education” entered into force. However, the Law does not contain any references to or specific regulatory provisions for persons who remain in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. The issue of admission to vocational education institutions for persons from the TOT still raises many unanswered questions and appears unlikely to change in the near future. A more detailed analysis of the difficulties faced by applicants from the TOT in accessing vocational education is available in our material “Do young people from the TOT have genuine access to vocational (vocational and technical) education?”
The situation regarding access to initial vocational education has not changed significantly. At the same time, under the Procedure for Admission to Higher Education in 2025, the number of entrance examinations for applicants from the TOT increased compared to the previous year, from three in 2024 to four in 2025, without clear justification. Additional concerns were raised by the implementation of a provision in the Procedure according to which Order of the Ministry of Education and Science No. 271 “On Approval of the Procedure for Admission to Higher, Professional Pre Higher, and Vocational (Vocational and Technical) Education for Persons Residing in Territories Where It Is Impossible to Ensure Compliance with Ukraine’s Education Standards and or a Stable Educational Process” is applied only with regard to annual assessment and state final attestation, as well as the issuance of a state standard certificate of basic secondary education or complete general secondary education. However, this Order is specifically intended to regulate the special conditions for admission of persons from the TOT and aims to improve their situation, ensure respect for their rights, and facilitate integration. Ignoring its broader application may lead to a more complicated admission process for applicants from the TOT and, as a result, to a decrease in the number of applicants who continue to maintain a connection with Ukraine.
A clearly positive development was the adoption by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of the Resolution “On Approval of the Procedure for the Recognition of Learning Outcomes Obtained in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine at the Levels of Vocational (Vocational and Technical), Professional Pre-Higher, and Higher Education”, adopted in implementation of Article 40-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Education”. At the same time, the procedure contains certain nuances related to its practical application. More details on this Resolution can be found in the analytical piece “Recognition of Learning Outcomes in the TOT: Challenges and Prospects”.
The recognition procedure itself cannot function without a number of additional regulatory acts. For example, it requires a list of educational institutions authorised to carry out this procedure. Such a list already exists at the level of higher education, pursuant to the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine “On Approval of the List of Authorised Higher Education Institutions Eligible to Carry Out, in 2026, the Procedure for the Recognition of Learning Outcomes Obtained in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine”. A total of 43 higher education institutions have agreed to conduct this procedure in 2026. At the same time, no such list has yet been approved for vocational education or professional pre-higher education. Approved standard documents are also still lacking, without which the recognition procedure cannot function. Their adoption is therefore expected in the near future, enabling the procedure to become fully operational in 2026.
Adaptation and reintegration
According to the Analytical Report based on the findings of a study on the integration of students from the temporarily occupied territories into higher education institutions in Ukraine, the reasons for pursuing Ukrainian education through distance learning while remaining in the TOT include, in particular, security considerations, namely risks to life and health when travelling from the TOT to Ukraine, cited by 43%of respondents, as well as a lack of financial resources to cover travel costs from the TOT to Ukraine. These findings clearly illustrate the existing problem of the absence of a unified and comprehensive system of reintegration and adaptation that would include assistance with relocation, not only in the form of counselling, as well as broader adaptation and reintegration support.
According to the recently adopted amendments to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On Approval of the Procedure for the Identification, Return, Provision of Support, and Reintegration of Children Deported or Forcibly Transferred as a Result of the Armed Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine”, start up assistance aimed at creating appropriate conditions for reintegration and adaptation will be provided not only to children but also to individuals aged 18 to 23 who were minors at the time of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, had not yet reached the age of 18, were lawfully present in Ukraine, and, in the absence of grounds provided for by international law, were forcibly transferred across the state border to the territory of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, or other states, or were forcibly transferred from the locality in which they were lawfully residing to another locality within the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, and who are at risk of deportation and or forced transfer.
Providing access to start up assistance for young people, who most often include applicants from the TOT relocating to territories under Ukraine’s control, can significantly support both the establishment of daily life after relocation and the decision to relocate. At the same time, the procedure requires further refinement, as well as the development and implementation of new solutions that would ensure comprehensive guidance and support for young people from the moment they decide to relocate and enrol in Ukrainian educational institutions through to successful adaptation in a new place.
Recently, the Government announced the introduction of a “winter admission” scheme for certain categories of applicants, including persons from the temporarily occupied territories. According to the announcement, this pilot project will allow young people to receive targeted support in the form of preparation for the National Multi Subject Test, a scholarship, and accommodation in student dormitories where necessary. At present, however, it is difficult to analyse this form of support in detail and in a substantiated manner due to the absence, at the time of writing, of a publicly available regulatory act governing the implementation of this pilot project.
What further changes do we expect?
In the Special Report of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights on Access to Education for Children and Young People from the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, one of the recommendations addressed to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is the approval of a Concept on access to education for children and young people from the temporarily occupied territories. It is difficult to disagree with this recommendation, as the current situation is characterised by a multitude of fragmented, ad hoc solutions that address individual needs or problems. At the same time, there is no unified approach, comprehensive framework, or mechanism for ensuring the right to education for children and young people from the TOT that would take into account all existing challenges and remain relevant and appropriate. However, as of now, such a concept is not on the Government’s agenda.
The Procedure for the recognition of learning outcomes obtained in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine at the level of complete general secondary education has still not been approved, nor has a number of documents required for the implementation of the Procedure for the recognition of learning outcomes obtained in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine at the levels of vocational (vocational and technical), professional pre-higher, and higher education.
At the same time, Ukraine’s system for access to Ukrainian education lacks coherence, as some regulatory acts contradict one another despite governing the same legal relations, while others contain regulatory gaps. In particular, despite the existence of a number of regulatory acts governing the attainment of complete general secondary education, the issue of education and the issuance of relevant educational documents for persons who have already completed secondary education in the TOT remains unresolved. Under these conditions, educational institutions interpret the regulations differently and lack a unified approach, which in turn creates additional difficulties for persons in the TOT who seek to join the Ukrainian education system.
In November 2025, the President of Ukraine signed a Decree “On Additional Measures to Protect the Rights of Children in the Context of Armed Aggression against Ukraine”. In particular, the Decree instructs the Government to ensure the creation of conditions for access to quality, modern and inclusive education aimed at developing children’s abilities and creative potential. This includes addressing learning losses, developing educational programmes and platforms for distance learning adapted for children and young people from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, deported children, and children returned from deportation or evacuation, introducing a system of remote admission in compliance with security protocols and personal data protection, ensuring continuity of education, and creating better opportunities for the development and self realisation of children and young people in Ukraine. In this context, there is hope that improved and safer conditions for access to Ukrainian education will be created for children and young people who are forced to remain under occupation.
We must remember that Russia is making maximum efforts to completely block Ukrainian children’s access to quality education. This policy is aimed not only at destroying Ukrainian identity but also at creating a controlled and loyal mobilisation resource that may be used in the future to support and conduct wars.
In this context, our efforts to ensure accessible and adaptive education for children and young people from the temporarily occupied territories must be intensified in order to achieve the desired results.
Particularly illustrative in this context are the voices of young people from the TOT. In the Analytical Report based on the findings of a study on the integration of students from the temporarily occupied territories into higher education institutions in Ukraine, one respondent explains her motivation for enrolling in a Ukrainian educational institution as follows:
«Because I want to continue my life path as a citizen of Ukraine and to have an education of my own country. Being in the TOT now, this gives me the opportunity to feel connected to my state during this period of separation. In this way, it helps me not to lose myself and gives me the strength to keep moving forward without losing hope.».
This position clearly demonstrates that access to Ukrainian education for children and young people from the TOT is not only a means of acquiring knowledge but also a critically important mechanism for preserving civic identity, inner resilience, and a sense of belonging to their state.
For this reason, children and young people themselves must remain at the centre of education policy, with a clear understanding that they have not been forgotten, that they are cared for, and that the state and society are ready to support their choices and help them move forward on this path.
Article prepared by the Almenda Center for Civic Education as part of the project “Defending childhood: justice & reintegration for children from TOT”. The project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic within the framework of the Transition Promotion Program. The views expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
