2025 Academic Year: What Changes in the Educational Program Await Students
Kyiv • UNN
Ukrainian schoolchildren are preparing for the new academic year with an updated curriculum, including a new mandatory subject "Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy" and significant changes in the teaching of "Defense of Ukraine."
In Ukraine, as in the rest of the world, on September 1, schoolchildren will enter their classrooms to begin a new academic year. This time, many interesting surprises await them, including the study of a new subject and changes in the teaching of some existing ones, which UNN will tell about.
Education Content Renewal Strategy
Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi assured that no drastic changes in the organization of the educational process would take place before September 1. "We will start the academic year calmly, as planned," the minister promised during a conversation with journalists.
However, reforms will continue within the framework of the "Education for Life" program, which is a new strategy of the Ministry of Education and Science and is the successor to the "New Ukrainian School" reform. It updates the content of school education. Its main goal is to form a holistic educational space in which curricula, teaching methods, and the school environment are harmoniously combined, allowing schoolchildren to better understand themselves and the world around them.
The developed concepts of this program describe the features, purpose, and structure of each educational field. They also outline current challenges and ways to overcome them in accordance with the needs of modern Ukrainian society. These documents offer a holistic vision of how education should be built from grades 1 to 12 — consistently, logically, and taking into account interdisciplinary connections.
After discussing the concepts and taking into account public proposals, the Ministry of Education and Science will develop a digital platform for educators. The piloting will affect the natural science, art, and technological educational fields.
New compulsory subject
Starting from September 1, 2025, a new compulsory subject, namely "Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy," will be taught in Ukrainian schools. Initially, it will be included in the curricula for 8th-grade students, and from 2026, for 9th-grade students. The purpose of its introduction is to instill practical skills in the financial sphere and entrepreneurial thinking in students. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), together with the Ministry of Education and Science, has developed a corresponding textbook and a model curriculum for this course.
This program was developed taking into account age characteristics, and includes topics on the formation of financial culture, personal finance management, banking services, taxes, as well as the basics of entrepreneurship and project implementation, such as "School Entrepreneurship."
This subject can be taught by teachers of any profile after completing appropriate training.
Changes in the teaching of "Defense of Ukraine"
From September 1 of this year, significant changes are being introduced in Ukrainian schools in the teaching of the subject "Defense of Ukraine" for students in grades 10-11, which provides for an increase in the study load to 2 hours per week (previously 1.5-2 hours). An updated program will also be implemented, which will focus on practical skills and modern aspects of security and defense. It will also include pre-medical care, drone control, and countering disinformation.
In addition, gender-based grouping will be abolished. All students (boys and girls) will study the subject together, regardless of gender. At the same time, it is planned to involve veterans with relevant education, as well as specialists who deal exclusively with this discipline, in teaching.
It should be noted that significant funds (1.74 billion hryvnias in December 2023) have been allocated for updating the subject "Defense of Ukraine."
Textbook approbation
Since 2024, all textbooks published at the expense of the state budget undergo approbation — testing in schools before mass printing. More than 2,000 teachers in 538 educational institutions took part in the first wave. 87% of educators believe that the procedure improves the quality of educational materials.
Approbation includes two stages: using textbooks in the educational process and providing feedback, as well as diagnostic tests for students. In the 2024-2025 academic year, textbooks for the eighth pilot class became a priority.
According to Deputy Minister of Education Nadiia Kuzmychova, all stages of the textbook creation cycle are undergoing qualitative changes. As of July 31, 2025, all planned textbooks have been printed. Now it remains to solve the issue of logistics.
To speed up delivery, on June 11, 2025, the government adopted a new algorithm: textbooks will be delivered directly from publishers' warehouses to schools, instead of the previous scheme through regional bases. According to Kuzmychova, this year 35% of textbooks will be delivered directly to educational institutions.
For transparency of the process, a new functionality has been implemented in the AIKOM information and communication system — electronic waybills based on delivery results. More details can be found here.