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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Ministry of Education and Science recommends that higher education institutions switch to an accelerated teaching schedule in the autumn 2026 year and in the spring 2027-year, using Saturdays for classes. The relevant letter was sent by the ministry to universities 20 in August, since a difficult winter could become a reality for the whole country. If needed, the academic process may even be extended into the summer 2027 year, except for graduating courses. The main goal of these changes is to minimize students’ educational losses in the event of power supply problems. The recommendations apply to all higher education institutions in Ukraine.
The ministry’s letter with new approaches to organizing the educational process is № 1/17933-26, dated 20 August 2026, and addressed to the heads of higher education institutions. The document describes preparations for the autumn–winter period in the context of possible power outages. The ministry suggests universities respond flexibly to the energy supply situation rather than waiting for a crisis.
If needed, universities are advised to conduct classes, practical training, assessments, and individual tasks remotely. For in-person formats, only those forms of instruction that cannot be conducted effectively online should be retained. The Ministry also urges institutions to digitalize instructional content as much as possible — in particular to ensure access to recorded lectures, laboratory practices, and self-assessment tools for asynchronous learning.
The ministry pays particular attention to energy supply and the safety of students and staff. In the case of energy resource shortages, universities are advised to concentrate training, staff operations, and student housing in the most protected and energy-efficient buildings. Educational institutions should also modernize shelters — ensuring ventilation, autonomous lighting, communications, and heating.
Winter is coming
The Ministry of Education and Science urged educational institutions to move away from isolated use of generators in favor of system solutions. Among the proposed options are hybrid solar power plants, industrial energy storage, and uninterruptible power supply systems. During in-person or mixed learning, universities should target the calculated capacity of the civil protection shelter fund.
This approach of the ministry aligns with the overall trend of preparing the country for a potentially severe heating season. Authorities at various levels have publicly acknowledged that the risks of blackouts and disruptions to heating in winter 2026-2027 remain high, and there is less and less time for full preparation.
Earlier, Informator reported that resilience plans proved too ambitious—Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky acknowledged that fully implementing them under current conditions would be extremely difficult. We also wrote that Ukrainians are massing to prepare for a tough winter, buying private homes with autonomous heating to protect themselves from possible strikes on the energy infrastructure.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "МОН рекомендує вишам навчання по суботах через складну зиму 2026-2027". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
