What are the opportunities for educating children in the temporarily occupied territories: the answer of the educational ombudsman

Ukrainian Educational Ombudsman Nadiia Leshchyk drew attention to the need to create opportunities for the realization of educational rights of Ukrainian children living in temporarily occupied territories, taking into account all obstacles. This was reported by UNN with reference to the website of the Educational Ombudsman.

Details

The Ombudsman noted: currently, the state does not have accurate information on the number of school-aged children in the temporarily occupied territories. At the same time, only some of these children receive Ukrainian education.

This is due to a number of challenges that affect their ability to join the Ukrainian education system and receive quality education. These include security problems, access to resources, including information and the Internet, difficulties with documents, coercion to study in schools of the occupation authorities, where education is ideologized, conducted in the language of the occupier (i.e., Russian - ed.), children are involved in propaganda events, and any mention of Ukrainian culture is removed, etc. Despite all these circumstances, children strive to receive Ukrainian education and preserve their identity.

The website of the Educational Ombudsman published information for parents regarding educational opportunities for children in temporarily occupied territories.

In particular, it refers to:

• forms of education (distance, external, family, pedagogical patronage);
• educational program with the study of all subjects;
• educational program with the study of individual subjects of the Ukrainian studies component;
• how to switch to another form or program in an educational institution;
• enrollment of children from TOT in an educational institution;
• features of organizing the educational process for children from TOT;
• assessment of learning outcomes under the full program;
• assessment of learning outcomes under the program of the Ukrainian studies component;
• recognition of learning outcomes obtained in TOT.

The ombudsman also reminded that the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, by Order No. 1047 of July 21, 2025, approved the Standard Educational Program for education at the levels of complete general secondary education for persons residing or having resided in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

It provides that persons who:

• reside / are in the TOT and receive / intend to receive education in general secondary education institutions of Ukraine;
• resided / were in the TOT and did not have access to the Ukrainian education system (such students, upon application of parents, other legal representatives (upon their own application upon reaching adulthood), may continue their studies under such a program until the end of the academic year in which they moved to the territory controlled by Ukraine).

Recall

Earlier, UNN, citing the Center for National Resistance, reported that in the occupied territories of Ukraine, Russian occupiers are turning schools into military training grounds, teaching only Russian history and forcing "military-patriotic education."