MANIPULATION: Ukraine will have fewer schools and medical universities, but more prisons

Russian media and social media users are spreading claims that Ukraine plans to build many new prisons because, according to Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna, they are a national priority. At the same time, they allege a reduction in the number of schools and the disbandment of medical universities, supposedly stated by Deputy Minister of Education Mykhailo Vynnytskyi.

This is manipulation. The construction of new prisons is a priority for the Ministry of Justice, not the entire government. Furthermore, there are no plans for mass closures or disbandment of schools or medical universities. Russians have taken quotes out of context.

Russians distorted unrelated facts. Below is a detailed analysis of each claim.

Will Ukraine build more prisons in 2025?

In short, yes — but not in the way Russians describe. On December 6, 2024, during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna stated that better conditions had been provided for over 3,000 prisoners this year. However, she emphasized the need for more modern prisons: “In fact, I have prioritized the construction of new prison facilities. Because the penitentiary system, along with the improvement of the existing conditions of detention of prisoners that we inherited from the Soviet Union, will not be able to ensure the implementation of the standards that will ensure order and control in the penitentiary system even with any repairs.” 

Thus, new prisons must be built. Stefanishyna identified this as her priority for the new year, with the Ministry of Justice seeking funding from partners. However, this priority is specific to the Ministry of Justice, not the entire government or country. Furthermore, Stefanishyna also discussed legal assistance for military personnel, veterans, and victims of violence — not just prisons. She did not comment on educational institutions, as this is the purview of the Ministry of Education.

Will Ukraine have fewer schools in 2025?

On December 5, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers amended the formula for distributing state educational subsidies to local budgets. As a result, starting September 1, 2025, the state will cease funding teacher salaries in schools with 45 or fewer students. Starting September 1, 2026, the minimum threshold will increase to 60 students. This change only affects grades 5–11 and does not impact primary or special schools for children with special educational needs.

The main goal of these changes is to improve education quality and use funds more efficiently. Education in rural areas is currently more expensive yet lower-quality than in urban schools.

However, this does not mean a school will be automatically closed. Communities will still receive funding for all children’s education but cannot use it to pay teachers in small schools. The Ministry of Education and Science has suggested two options for local governments:

1. Pay teachers in small schools from local budgets;
2. Transport students in grades 5–11 to the nearest larger school.

If funding is unavailable, the founding body will decide on reorganizing, closing, or repurposing schools with fewer than 45–60 students. In frontline areas, this decision falls to the local military administration.

The Ministry of Education announced these changes back in March 2024. This practice is not new: since September 1, 2016, the government has stopped funding schools with 25 or fewer students.

Will medical universities be disbanded in Ukraine in 2025?

On November 28, 2024, Deputy Minister of Education Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, during a webinar on higher education transformation, compared the number of medical universities in Ukraine and the EU. He noted that Ukraine has 15 specialized medical universities, while EU countries generally have only four. This difference arises because EU countries often treat medical education as part of classical education, with medical training provided at non-specialized universities. Vynnytskyi added that the Ministry has no short-term plans to disband medical universities or merge them with general universities. 

He later reiterated that there are no plans to change the structure of medical education institutions. Russians took Vynnytskyi’s quote out of context and combined it with unrelated claims about prisons.

Earlier, VoxCheck debunked similar fakes about education, such as claims that Ukraine would allegedly cancel social benefits, free healthcare, and free education.