---
title: "Butenko and Stefanchuk: Strategy for Saving Ukrainian Education Amidst War"
description: "Ruslan Stefanchuk and Andriy Butenko discussed the fate of Ukrainian education: from teachers' salaries to the winter session of the NMT. 🎓💼 The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada emphasized that the development of the education system remains a key priority for the state amidst the war. 🇺🇦"
date: 2026-07-29T15:28:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/butenko-and-stefanchuk-strategy-for-saving-ukrainian-education-amidst-war
tags: [andrei-butenko, ruslan-stefanchuk, ukraine-education, nmt-exam, verkhovna-rada]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Butenko and Stefanchuk: Strategy for Saving Ukrainian Education Amidst War

![Education Minister Butenko and Speaker Stefanuch discuss the strategy to save Ukrainian education during wartime](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/29/butenko-i-stefanchuk-strategiya-obrazovaniya-v-voennye-vremya/butenko-i-stefanchuk-strategiya-obrazovaniya-v-voennye-vremya-1.webp)

On Wednesday, July 29, a key meeting took place in Kyiv to determine the future of the Ukrainian education system. The Head of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, received the newly appointed Minister of Education and Science, Andriy Butenko. The meeting was held in the format of a working dialogue, where the parties discussed not only the prospects for further cooperation but also the pressing problems facing the sector under current conditions.

### Education as a Priority of State Policy

Ruslan Stefanchuk openly stated the importance of the sector, emphasizing that education is the foundation of the future of the Ukrainian nation. According to the Speaker, the development of the education system must remain one of the main priorities of state policy, despite all the challenges of wartime. The meeting became an opportunity to synchronize the actions of the legislative and executive branches on this issue.

### Key Challenges: From Salaries to Science

During the conversation, the parties examined a number of systemic problems in detail. The focus was on issues of material support for teachers and support for the scientific community. The discussion of salaries became one of the central items on the agenda, as the financial stability of teachers directly affects the quality of education and the retention of staff in the system.

Special attention was also paid to supporting science. In the conditions of war, the country's scientific potential requires special attention and resources to prevent a "brain drain" and preserve academic continuity.

### NMT Reform: Winter Session and New Rules

One of the most discussed issues was the procedure for the National Multisubject Test (NMT). In particular, the parties discussed the possibility of holding a winter session of the exam. This decision could be critical for applicants whose education was disrupted by military actions, allowing them not to lose a year and to enter universities in the standard mode.

Stefanchuk noted that the issue of improving the NMT system was considered in detail. Previously, the heads of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) and the Ukrainian Center for Assessment of the Quality of Education (UCAQE) had already discussed issues of university admission during the war, defining the parameters that the testing procedure should take into account. Now these initiatives are being further developed at the parliamentary level.

### Prospects for 2026 Applicants

In the context of testing reform, the issue of admission without NMT remains relevant. Previously, the department explained where one could apply in 2026 without taking the unified test in order not to lose a year of study. Experts and representatives of the MES also note certain trends among applicants: the number of applications submitted is growing, and the choice of specialties is shifting towards professions in demand under wartime and reconstruction conditions.

The meeting with the new minister signaled that the reform of education and its adaptation to the realities of war will continue in close interaction with the Verkhovna Rada.