Ukraine began its new school year this autumn, like many countries around the world did. But unlike any other country, we did so under hundreds of Russian attacks. In September alone, Ukraine faced more than 5,000 drones launched at our cities and villages.

Sadly, this has been happening for more than three years. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has experienced so many air raid sirens that if you add them up, they equal more than 330 full days under alarm.

Russia has destroyed or damaged every seventh school in our country, while continuing to occupy new territories and escalate its assaults.

Of course, it disrupts education and every Ukrainian child's right to learn. It forces Ukraine to restore access to education again and again.

Reacting quickly to keep children learning during the war

The worst moment came in the first months since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Millions of children suddenly lost access to education. Schools had to close their doors and turn to online lessons. Russian troops were advancing intensively.

In such conditions, who could think about education — especially when most of the nation’s resources had to be urgently directed toward defense?

And yet, thanks to the support of our partners, we found the strength to believe that education could continue, even in war. Among the first to respond was the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), which played a catalytic role by convening key actors such as Google, Microsoft, UNESCO, and UNICEF.

But the impact went far beyond funding: GPE’s strategic coordination and convening power ensured that support was timely, targeted, and transformative for our education response.

Even in regions near the frontline, we were able to bring almost 50,000 children back to safe, in-person learning through the creation of digital learning centers. And where in-person education was impossible, we provided laptops to children.

The impact went beyond the number of devices themselves, as 85% of schools reported improved attendance rates after receiving devices.

Collaboration for remote learning and mental health support

Behind these statistics are inspiring stories of how laptops or tablets actually change lives of children who need it.

With the device, a girl living under occupation in the Kherson region (South of Ukraine) managed to apply to the international Genius Olympiad competition.

At first, she doubted whether she could even upload her video presentation due to connectivity issues. But she succeeded — and went on to win the Grand Prix.

This is what investment in education makes possible: opportunities for children who otherwise would be denied because of war. Together with partners, we also launched mental health and psychosocial support programs and initiatives to overcome learning losses.

This early support helped children avoid major learning losses. To truly support education in emergencies, we must do it in a sustainable and well-coordinated way — and this is exactly what our cooperation with GPE represents.

Today, I can share the number of children and teachers we have reached through these programs.

But in the long term, we will see the real outcome: children prepared with the skills they need to enter the workforce, help rebuild Ukraine and use their full potential as people and citizens. This will be the great outcome of our joint work for education in emergencies.

Prioritizing education makes sense even during war

This kind of support helps us move forward — not just fix urgent needs, but make education sustainable for the future.

Today, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is reforming education at every level, opening hundreds of underground schools, and we have already restored over 85% of safe, in-person learning nationwide.

All of this happened because we prioritized education even in the hardest times. Because we are convinced that investing in education is the smartest decision. It benefits everyone — individuals, businesses, employers, economies, nations, and the entire world.

But let’s look beyond Ukraine. We cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if even one child, anywhere in the world, is left behind. That is why supporting initiatives like GPE is an act of global responsibility.

Ukraine’s experience shows that if this kind of support can succeed during a full-scale war, it can succeed anywhere. Just imagine the global transformation we can drive if we keep investing in education and multiplying its impact.