Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine № 1115 “On certain issues of organizing distance education”

Order № 1115 issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine establishes the foundations for organizing remote learning in general secondary education institutions, aiming to ensure access to education via remote methods in situations where physical attendance is hindered, particularly during times of armed conflict, quarantine, or other emergencies. Remote education may be organized for individuals who are unable to attend classes due to health issues, serving a sentence, armed conflict, martial law, living abroad (for Ukrainian citizens), residing in temporarily occupied territories, or due to the spread of epidemics or consequences of natural and technological disasters. This form of education is also available for students who require an individualized educational trajectory, including children with special educational needs, gifted children, or those involved in sports that necessitate regular participation in competitions. In cases of martial law, emergency situations, or a state of emergency in Ukraine or certain regions, when students are forced to relocate, including internally displaced persons or those residing abroad, remote learning becomes accessible for the duration of such a special period.

Enrollment or continuation of education through remote learning is possible if, in the respective locality, there are no available spots for in-person learning in municipal general secondary education institutions, or if such institutions have ceased providing services in the necessary form and level, or if their operations in the locality are fully suspended.

Information about these conditions must be published and updated biannually on the official websites of the Ministry of Education and Science, the technical administrator of the automated educational management system, and the websites of educational institutions and their founders. Before the start of the next academic year, one of the legal representatives of a student enrolled in remote learning must provide the relevant information to the educational institution in a convenient way (in person or via electronic communication). In the absence of these specified conditions, students enrolled in remote education in state or municipal educational institutions must be transferred before the start of the next academic year to another institution to continue their education or to an in-person (daytime or evening) form within the same institution.

If a child has been removed from the school register and has not been enrolled in another educational institution within ten working days, they are considered to be out of the educational system according to the Procedure for recording children of preschool and school age, and measures to locate and return the child to education are undertaken in accordance with the law.

To organize remote education, the institution forms classes or groups with an appropriate number of students, which during martial law in Ukraine should comprise no fewer than 20 students in municipal institutions, but in any case, no less than the minimum threshold of 5 students. If forming a class with the specified number of students is not feasible, a class with a lower enrollment—no fewer than 5 students—is permitted, but only one such remote class per grade level may be created at the community level.