--- title: "Lessons up to 35 minutes: Ukraine's Ministry of Education allows teachers to flexibly adjust class duration and schedules" description: "Ukraine's Minister of Education Andrii Butenko stated that teachers may shorten lessons to 35 minutes and swap subjects in the schedule so that students absorb the material better." date: 2026-09-22T13:28:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/lessons-up-to-35-minutes-ukrainian-teachers-can-flexibly-adjust-class-duration tags: [ukraine-education, school-reform, lesson-duration, mon-ukraine, andrey-butenko] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Lessons up to 35 minutes: Ukraine's Ministry of Education allows teachers to flexibly adjust class duration and schedules ![Female students writing at their desks during a lesson in a Ukrainian school classroom, illustrating the news about flexible class schedules of up to 35 minutes approved by Ukraine's Ministry of Education](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/22/uroki-do-35-minut-uchitelya-mogut-gibko-menyat-prodolzhitelnost-zanyatiy/uroki-do-35-minut-uchitelya-mogut-gibko-menyat-prodolzhitelnost-zanyatiy-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Ukraine's Minister of Education Andrii Butenko stated that teachers may shorten lessons to 35 minutes if students are tired. - Teachers are allowed to swap subjects in the schedule so that difficult disciplines fall on the peak of students' attention. - The main goal is not to observe the 45-minute norm, but to ensure quality mastery of the material and achievement of the curriculum's learning outcomes. - The changes are introduced against the backdrop of requirements to account for the security situation: as of the beginning of September, 90% of schools have shelters or access to them. Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science has clarified under the new rules that teachers are allowed to flexibly manage the duration of lessons and the order of subjects in the schedule. This was stated by Minister of Education and Science Andrii Butenko on a telethon broadcast, as noted by the RBC-Ukraine publication. In his words, the fixed 45 minutes are no longer an end in themselves: the priority is the quality of students' mastery of the educational material and the achievement of the curriculum's learning outcomes. ### Flexibility instead of rigid frameworks As Butenko explained, a teacher has the right to independently determine the length of a lesson depending on the condition and level of fatigue of the students. If the children are tired, a lesson can last not 45, but 40 or even 35 minutes. "The main thing for us is to achieve the curriculum's learning outcomes so that children acquire knowledge. If necessary, it can be changed," the minister emphasized. Thus, the duration of a lesson transforms from a rigid norm into a tool that adapts to the actual capabilities of the class at a given moment. ### Reordering subjects in the schedule In addition to shortening the time, teachers have been allowed to swap subjects in the schedule. According to Butenko, this makes it possible to schedule the most difficult disciplines for those parts of the day when students better retain their attention and are able to absorb the material more effectively. The logic of the approach is simple: the difficult subjects come first, while attention is at its peak, and more routine lessons can be moved to times when concentration naturally declines. ### Security context and adaptive algorithms The changes are being made against the backdrop of requirements for organizing the educational process in wartime conditions. It was previously reported that during air raids, Kyiv schools operate under adaptive algorithms that account for various threat scenarios: during distance learning, classes are paused for a few minutes so that students and teachers can move to a safe place, after which the lesson resumes. The Ministry of Education also emphasized that the organization of education in the 2026/2027 academic year must take the security situation into account: as of the beginning of September, 90% of general secondary education institutions are equipped with shelters or have access to rented protective structures. ### What this means in practice For local schools, the decision means an expansion of the teacher's autonomy: the teacher decides for themselves when to shorten a lesson and when to swap subjects, guided by the condition of the class rather than just the entry in the schedule. For students, this potentially means a more comfortable and effective rhythm; for the administration, it means the need to trust the teacher's professional judgment. At the same time, the key criterion remains not "sitting through" the allotted time, but ensuring the real mastery of the curriculum. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [Lessons can be shortened to 35 minutes: the Ministry of Education explains new opportunities for teachers](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/uroki-mozhna-skorochuvati-35-hvilin-mon-poyasnili-1790083306.html) - ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€Π²ΠΈΡ‡Π½Ρ‹ΠΉ источник заявлСния Π‘ΡƒΡ‚Π΅Π½ΠΊΠΎ Π² эфирС Ρ‚Π΅Π»Π΅ΠΌΠ°Ρ€Π°Ρ„ΠΎΠ½Π°; ΠΏΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ 35/40/45 ΠΌΠΈΠ½ΡƒΡ‚ ΠΈ пСрСстановку ΠΏΡ€Π΅Π΄ΠΌΠ΅Ρ‚ΠΎΠ². - [35-minute lessons: teachers in Ukraine can shorten class duration β€” what is the reason](https://tsn.ua/ru/ukrayina/uroki-po-35-minut-uchitelya-v-ukraine-mogut-sokraschat-prodolzhitelnost-zanyatiy-kakaya-prichina-3173420.html) - Π‘ΠΎΠ²ΠΏΠ°Π΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΠΏΠΎ сути: сокращСниС Π΄ΠΎ 35 ΠΌΠΈΠ½ΡƒΡ‚ ΠΏΡ€ΠΈ усталости ΡƒΡ‡Π΅Π½ΠΈΠΊΠΎΠ². - [Shortening lesson duration and schedule changes: the Ministry of Education announces changes in ...](https://24tv.ua/education/ru/izmenenija-v-shkolah-ukrainy-uchitelja-smogut-sokrashhat-prodolzhitelnost-urokov_n3146968) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΠΈ сокращСниС ΡƒΡ€ΠΎΠΊΠΎΠ², ΠΈ измСнСния Π² расписании. - [Teachers can shorten lessons to 35 minutes, says the Ministry of Education](https://censor.net/ru/news/4024701/uchitelyam-razreshili-sokraschat-prodoljitelnost-urokov-podrobnosti) - Π‘ΠΎΠ²ΠΏΠ°Π΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΠΏΠΎ ΠΊΠ»ΡŽΡ‡Π΅Π²ΠΎΠΌΡƒ тСзису ΠΎ Ρ€Π°Π·Ρ€Π΅ΡˆΠ΅Π½ΠΈΠΈ ΡΠΎΠΊΡ€Π°Ρ‰Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ ΡƒΡ€ΠΎΠΊΠΈ Π΄ΠΎ 35 ΠΌΠΈΠ½ΡƒΡ‚. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Can teachers in Ukraine shorten lessons? **A:** Yes. According to the statement by Minister of Education Andrii Butenko, a teacher may shorten a lesson to 40 or 35 minutes if they see that the students are tired. ### Q: Is the 45-minute lesson norm being abolished? **A:** No, no strict abolition has been announced: 45 minutes remain a guideline, but the teacher is given the right to flexibly adjust the duration depending on the condition of the class. ### Q: Can teachers swap subjects in the schedule? **A:** Yes, they are allowed to rearrange lessons so that difficult subjects fall on times when students' attention is at its best. ### Q: What is the goal of these changes? **A:** The main goal is not to observe a fixed time, but to ensure quality mastery of the material and achievement of the curriculum's learning outcomes. ### Q: How does this relate to the security situation? **A:** The Ministry of Education emphasizes that education in 2026/2027 must take security into account; as of the beginning of September, 90% of schools have shelters or access to protective structures.