Schools may introduce a six-day school week: important news

Among the current topics in Ukraine is the Ministry of Education and Science’s recommendation to introduce a six-day workweek due to frequent power outages. However, this issue has not yet been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration. The committee’s secretary, People’s Deputy Natalia Pipa, confirmed this information in one of her interviews.

She noted that this is not a mandatory norm in the legislation. According to Pipa, the Law of Ukraine “On Complete Secondary Education” only indicates that the academic year must end no later than July 1.

The People’s Deputy added that most schools complete their studies at the end of May, although some continue classes in June to complete the educational program. This decision is due to the longer daylight hours in June, which allow for lower heating costs. A similar approach can be applied to the six-day work week.

Pipa emphasized that each territorial community and each school is free to decide independently how to organize the educational process most optimally.

The letter from the Ministry of Education and Science contains recommendations for organizing the educational process in conditions of frequent power outages. The document emphasizes that secondary education institutions have the right to independently determine the structure of the academic year, the week, and the day for implementing the educational program.

The Ministry also proposed several options to ensure the stable operation of educational institutions during possible blackouts: teaching on Saturdays, adjusting the class schedule, transferring part of the lessons to other months, and introducing asynchronous learning and a two-shift school operation.