Handbook

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes and move to safer territories or abroad. Here is an instruction about evacuation, quick and safe movement, and the organization of living in shelters.

Try to call the hotline of Territorial defense of Armed Forces of Ukraine 0 800 507 028 or emergency services 101, 102 and inform them about your location. Then the local government will add your address to the list of people who need help with the evacuation.

Due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, some Ukrainians are forced to leave their homes and settle in other cities and countries. But despite the difficult conditions, the educational process continues. On September 1, a new generation of first-graders will go to school. The Ministry of Education recommends that parents or persons in loco parentis submit the necessary documents to register their children for first grade.

1. How do internally displaced persons apply for admission to the first grade?

• Choose an educational institution. If the documents for admission to the 1st grade are submitted by internally displaced persons who are not yet registered (for various reasons), the Ministry of Education recommends that they first contact the local administration or education department.
• Submit to the educational institution an application for admission of a child (in person or by email, fax or other convenient way), as well as:
• a copy of the child’s birth certificate or an identity document (when submitting a copy, the original of the relevant document must be presented)
• original or copy of a medical certificate in the form of primary accounting documentation No. 086-1/о. “Certificate of a pupil of a general education institution on the results of a mandatory medical preventive examination” (if the parents or persons in loco parentis are abroad, the medical certificate may be submitted after returning to Ukraine).

Children are usually accepted to an educational institution, including the 1st grade, before the start of the school year and in accordance with the territory of service.

Please note! Due to the introduction of martial law and in accordance with the Procedure for enrollment, exclusion and transfer of students to state and municipal educational institutions for complete general secondary education, when accepting documents for enrollment in the 1st grade, it should be taken into account that children or one of their parents who have a certificate of registration of an internally displaced person, a certificate of application for protection in Ukraine, a refugee certificate, a certificate of a person in need of additional protection or who has been granted temporary protection, and who do not have one or more of the following documents are enrolled in an educational institution without submitting the above documents.

In the absence of a child’s birth certificate, the head of the educational institution is obliged to immediately inform the child welfare authority at the child’s place of residence or the location of the educational institution to facilitate its issuance.

2. How to apply for admission to the first grade from abroad?

The application can be submitted by email, fax or other convenient way.

3. To which schools abroad can children be sent to study under the Ukrainian program?

If parents and their children plan to stay abroad for a certain period of time, children can also study at the State Lyceum “Ukrainian International School” (UIS) (https://uis.org.ua).

4. Is it possible to combine studying abroad and distance learning at a Ukrainian school? 

Ukrainian children can study at an educational institution in the country of residence on a full-time basis.

Ukrainian children may, if they wish, combine full-time study at a school in the country of residence and at a general secondary education institution of Ukraine in one of the following forms of education: distance, family (home), externship.

A child who, while outside Ukraine, continued his or her studies at a Ukrainian school, continues his or her studies at the same educational institution after returning to Ukraine.

5. Does the child need to confirm the knowledge gained after returning to Ukraine? 

The educational results obtained by children in educational institutions of the countries of temporary residence, where they studied under Ukrainian programs, don’t require separate recognition. After returning to Ukraine, these children are enrolled in educational institutions and transferred to the next year of study in accordance with the established procedure based on the results of the assessment conducted by the educational institution of the country of temporary residence, on condition that they provide an information certificate confirming their studies.

The results of education obtained by children in educational institutions of the countries of temporary residence may be taken into account by a Ukrainian educational institution on the basis of an information certificate confirming education in the country of residence. Children who, while abroad, have not studied the subjects required by Ukrainian educational programs, are given the opportunity to take an annual assessment in these subjects before the start of the school year.

Currently, some graduates who are now/have been in the temporarily occupied territories or in the areas of active hostilities are unable to get all the necessary documents about graduation from an educational institution. The state has developed a mechanism for enrolling in a higher education institution in such a situation:

• What should be done if an applicant from the temporarily occupied territories does not have a state-issued certificate of complete secondary education?

It is necessary to pass the state final certification as an external student in authorized secondary education institutions.

• How to choose a secondary education institution where you can pass the final certification?
  • Submit an application for admission through the educational centers “Crimea-Ukraine” and “Donbas-Ukraine” (these centers are established on the basis of higher or professional pre-university education institutions where you plan to enroll).
    Contacts of the educational centers are here: bit.ly/3rqZ1iZ
  • The chosen institution will refer you to the attached school. You can take the final certification the next day after submitting your application or at another time convenient for you.

Important! You can take the final certification from the beginning of the educational centers’ work – from June 1, but no later than 3 days before the end of their work – on September 30.

• What subjects should you pass the state final examination in?
  • Ukrainian language (without literature)
  • History of Ukraine
• What should I do if I can’t take the assessment in person?

In this case, the assessment can be taken remotely in the format of an individual interview with video fixation.

• What are the next steps after passing the annual evaluation and final certification?

It is necessary to submit the following documents for admission to the educational center by yourself:

• • application;
  • certificate of external independent evaluation 2020-2021 or results of the national multi-subject test (optional);
  • certificate of registration of an internally displaced person (if present);
  • an identity document, and in case of its absence – a birth certificate.
  • four 3×4 cm color photographs;
  • a state-issued document on education and its supplement;
  • a certificate of successful completion of the state final certification (except in cases of exemption from it) is the basis for participation in the competition without submitting certificates of external independent evaluation or national multi-subject test.
• What should I do if I can’t physically submit my application documents?

You should send to the educational center’s e-mail:

• • scanned copies (photocopies) of the documents listed in the previous section
  • a 3×4 cm photo (1 in digital form)

Important! The educational center receives a certificate of successful completion of the annual evaluation and state final certification (except in cases of exemption from it) automatically. You don’t need to send it additionally.

• What are the deadlines for submitting applications?

Documents from an applicant for admission to higher education institutions at the expense of the state budget are accepted in two stages:

• • the main stage of admission to the budget lasts from July 19 – July 31 (18:00)
  • additional stage of contractual enrollment (with the possibility of transferring to vacant budget places if available):
  • Acceptance of applications – until September 23 (7 days before the end of the work of educational centers);
  • conducting entrance exams – until September 25 (no later than 5 days before the end of the work of the educational centers);
  • publication of the rating list – by September 27 (no later than 3 days before the end of the work of the educational centers);
  • enrollment – by September 30 (no later than the date of closure of the educational centers).

Applicants can submit up to 5 applications through one educational center only.

It is important to remember that the settlers did not leave their homes because of the good life. Someone could not stay at home with the children, where several times a night they had to go down to the bomb shelters and hear the sounds of explosions. Someone left their house under fire and discovers on the way that there was nowhere to come back – the occupiers bombed the house. And someone miraculously escaped from a city that Russian aircraft are trying to level.