Graduation in Ukrainian Schools - Realities of 2025

The beginning of summer is one of welcome heat. It is filled not only with bright sun, but also with equally bright events. In Ukraine in June, just like here in Canada, school graduates receive their certificates and celebrate school graduation. I can remember my school graduation evening and my classmates as if it was yesterday. We were beautiful, full of hopes and dreams and could not, even in our worst nightmare, imagine that a full-scale war would ever begin in our country.

We studied in an ordinary secondary school and we had wonderful teachers. Each of them left a special impression in our memories with their innovative styles in teaching us. In order to arouse children’s interest in his subject, our history teacher often came to class dressed in some historical clothing that he may have rented from a specialized store. It proved to be unusual, interesting and very creative. The literature teacher talked so fascinatingly about the works of the classics that there was always complete silence in her lesson. After graduation our whole class often met in some cozy restaurant, told each other about our journeys and fondly remembered our school and teachers. I really hope that we will all definitely meet again and that everything will be fine for everyone.

The war in Ukraine has disrupted the rhythm of everyday life for Ukrainians and has also changed the education system. Many schools have been forced to switch to distance learning, while other schools have stepped up security measures so that in the event of an air raid, children could urgently leave their classrooms and hide in specially equipped bomb shelters. Innovative additional classes have also been introduced for graduates. At the end of the school year, many educational institutions conduct summer internships in life safety, training in tactical medicine, cyber security, and other helpful adaptations. Today’s challenges dictate their own conditions.

The month of June should have been full of joyful events, such as graduations and graduation parties. Instead, many cities in Ukraine were subject to missile attacks, which resulted in a large number of casualties. On June 17, the city of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was shelled by drones and missiles. The air raid alarm lasted almost nine hours and as a result of the strike, people died and many more were injured. The entrance of a nine-story residential building completely collapsed. Horrible footage of this tragic event flew around all the news feeds and the next day a day of mourning was declared. Six days later, on the night of June 23, Kyiv was again hit by a missile and once again people died.

During the missile attack on Kyiv on June 17, Dmytry Isaenko died under the rubble. He was 31 years old and a master’s student at the Ukrainian National Pedagogical Dragomanov University. This story shocked us all and the boy’s parents prayed near the ruins of the destroyed house in the hope that Dmytry would be alive. Photos from the scene of the tragedy went around the world. At the university, they had important words to say about him.  About what a good friend he was, a worthy son, who loved and believed in life. Unfortunately, the war took him away and we can only condole with his parents and loved ones.

As surreal as it may seem, and paralleling all these terrible events, thousands of schoolboys and schoolgirls continued to prepare for entrance exams and waited for their graduation. Among the graduates were my beloved nieces Maria and Alena. While in Kyiv, they, like many other Ukrainian children, experienced all this horror, waking up at night from the sounds of explosions. And yet, in the morning like little Phoenix birds, they “twittered” to each other about evening dresses and hairstyles for the prom. I was really looking forward to the day when my charming nieces would attend their school prom. They happily showed me their holiday dresses in anticipation of their first ball.

Later, thanks to a video connection, I got to see the festive evening itself. It was very touching to watch how each graduate was presented with a certificate and parting words. The graduates were beautifully dressed, with joyful smiles on their faces. It was very lovely to look at them and I was also very happy to see my teachers, because this was the school where I once studied.

This year, the number of people present was significantly less than before the war. Many have left and were unable to attend the celebration. After finishing school, graduates will enter higher education institutions. Some will leave Ukraine to continue their studies in another country, safer and more promising, but many boys and girls want to stay and become students at Ukrainian universities. I would really like Ukrainians to be able to plan and build their future and the future of their children in their country. This requires peace and a lot of work at the state level to reform systems in various sectors of the economy, raise social standards and ensure security for their citizens.

The war has had a devastating effect on economic and political life in Ukraine, and it could not help but affect the education system. Since the beginning of 2022, more than 3,790 educational institutions have been damaged or completely destroyed in the country. These include kindergartens, schools and universities. According to UNICEF, more than 1,300 schools were completely destroyed. The war affected children’s academic performance, especially in areas that require practical training. Many children switched to online learning, which created problems for participants without access to the Internet or the necessary equipment. Also, as a result of the military actions, many children and teachers have suffered psychological trauma and need rehabilitation and support both at the state level and in understanding among ordinary people.

Despite the situation in the country, 17 universities from Ukraine were included in the World University Rankings 2025 by Times Higher Education. This is a list of the best higher education institutions in the world. This list also includes Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv which is a national center of science and culture and one of the oldest universities in the country. School education in Ukraine is divided into three levels - primary school, secondary school (basic education) and high school (specialized education). Children begin studying at the age of 6-7 and finish their studies at the age of 17-18, after which they receive a certificate of complete secondary education with external independent assessment.

Over the past few years, Ukrainian schools have introduced certain innovations and changes. Since 2019 compulsory school uniforms have been abolished in schools which the President of Ukraine signed off on in an official decree. Network learning was also introduced, where some disciplines can be taught by a specialist from a specialized institution instead of a school teacher, like sports or cultural. Also, school children in Ukraine have the opportunity to choose individual forms of education, such as home schooling or pedagogical patronage. Alternative forms of education are strictly controlled in order to maintain the required level of education in accordance with accepted standards. The level of knowledge in Ukrainian schools is now assessed on a 12-point scale whereas before the year 2000, a 5-point scale was used.

In 2025, new projects will be introduced with the reform of high school. Starting in 2027, high school (grades 10-12) will be divided into professional colleges and academic lyceums, where students will be able to choose a profile of study. The tenth grade will be an adaptation one, while the eleventh and twelfth grades will involve in-depth study of selected subjects. From 2027 on schoolchildren will have a 12-year education system to complete general secondary education instead of 11 years.

I personally want to congratulate all the graduates here and back in Ukraine and their supportive parents who celebrated the end of the school year with them. I would like to wish graduates a successful admission into higher education institutions, and to those who will continue their studies at school, joyful and unforgettable holidays. Peace to us all!