Romania Supports Romanian-Language Education in Ukraine: Solutions for Lyceums in Odesa Region Expected Before September 1

Delayed Decisions on the Continuation of Education

At the end of the 2025–2026 school year, the issue concerning ninth-grade graduates and their ability to continue their studies in schools in their home communities remained without a clear solution from the central authorities in Kyiv.

As the 2026–2027 school year approaches, the uncertainty continues. Students who are due to enter the tenth grade are still awaiting a decision on whether upper-secondary classes will be maintained in their schools. The Verkhovna Rada has not yet revisited draft laws No. 15082 and 15082-1, while the Ministry of Education and Science has not issued clear guidance on the financing of tenth-grade classes in these institutions.

“Optimization” of Education and Decisions by Local Authorities

In the absence of a solution at the central level, responsibility for maintaining tenth-grade classes has been transferred to local authorities. In several communities, local councils have adopted decisions on the “optimization of the education system”, providing for the elimination of upper-secondary education starting as early as the 2026–2027 school year.

These measures are being adopted before the reform of upper-secondary education is scheduled to enter into force in 2027, raising concerns among local communities, particularly in schools where education is provided in the languages of national minorities.

Communities Raise Concerns over the Lack of Consultations

One of the main concerns expressed by parents and teachers is that some decisions regarding the reorganization of educational institutions were adopted without sufficient consultation with the affected communities.

In the Sarata territorial community, residents of the village of Satu Nou learned from the media about the intention to transform the lyceum into a gymnasium. A similar situation occurred in Tatarbunary, where the City Council decided to eliminate the upper-secondary cycle at the educational institution in Borșivka, without holding a broad discussion with parents and teaching staff.

Parents Call for Intervention by the Authorities

The decisions of local administrations have caused dissatisfaction among families and teachers, who have called on the Ukrainian authorities to review the decisions.

Considering that the elimination of upper-secondary classes could affect both access to education under normal conditions and the ability of national minorities to study in their mother tongue, community representatives have also appealed to the presidents of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, requesting support for maintaining Romanian-language lyceums in the Odesa region.

Romania Responds through Its Consulate in Odesa

The first official response came from Romania. On 22 August 2026, a meeting was held at the Bilhorod-Dnistrovsk District State (Military) Administration between representatives of the Consulate General of Romania in Odesa and representatives of the district administration and local authorities.

The meeting was attended by the leadership of the district administration, representatives of the Sarata and Tatarbunary communities, education officials and representatives of the Romanian diplomatic mission.

Romanian-Language Education at the Center of Discussions

The meeting addressed the situation of Romanian-language educational institutions, the preservation of the upper-secondary cycle and the possibility of enrolling students in tenth-grade classes in schools in their home communities.

Particular attention was paid to the situation of the lyceums in Borșivka and Novoselivka, as well as to the broader situation of Romanian-language educational institutions across the Odesa region.

The Romanian representatives conveyed the position of Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the importance of protecting Romanian-language education and maintaining institutions where the educational process is conducted in Romanian, including in the context of Ukraine’s education reform.

The participants also discussed possible solutions that would take into account the interests of students, parents, teachers and territorial communities.

The Outcome of the Meeting Remains Unclear for Now

So far, no concrete results of the meeting in Bilhorod-Dnistrovsk have been announced. The effectiveness of the Ukrainian-Romanian dialogue will be assessed based on the decisions that follow, particularly in the case of the lyceum in Borșivka.

A concrete step would be for the Tatarbunary City Council to reconsider its decision to transform the institution into a gymnasium starting on 1 September 2026. However, very little time remains before the beginning of the new school year.

Situation in Satu Nou Temporarily Resolved

In the village of Satu Nou, the situation has improved after the Sarata councilors amended the decision adopted on 12 June 2026, which had provided for the transformation of the lyceum into a gymnasium starting on 1 September 2026.

The new decision postpones the reorganization of the institution until 1 September 2027. The pressure and involvement of parents and teachers from the community played an important role in this change.

Thus, during the 2026–2027 school year, two tenth-grade classes will operate in Satu Nou: one taught in Ukrainian and one taught in Romanian.

Questions Regarding the Right to Education

On 24 August, just a few days before the beginning of the new school year, students and parents are still waiting for a clear solution from the competent authorities.

While the authorities state that they protect the rights of national minorities and that the education system is focused on the interests of the child, the current situation raises questions about the predictability and accessibility of education.

For ninth-grade graduates, the lack of a decision regarding the possibility of continuing their studies at their local school, just days before the beginning of the school year, creates a period of uncertainty for students, parents and teachers.

Borșivka – A Case Still Awaiting a Solution

The situation in Borșivka remains more complicated. Following the decision of the Tatarbunary City Council to transform the lyceum into a gymnasium, parents of students who were due to enter the tenth grade were forced to withdraw their children’s documents from the school and submit them to lyceums in the center of the community, Tatarbunary.

In this context, the issue of draft laws No. 15082 and 15082-1 also remains unresolved, as the Verkhovna Rada has not yet revisited them. The absence of a legislative solution is fueling concerns that tenth-grade classes could disappear from some schools as early as the 2026–2027 school year.

A Decision Expected Before the Start of the School Year

The community hopes that the dialogue between Ukrainian and Romanian representatives in Bilhorod-Dnistrovsk will lead to concrete solutions and that the lyceum in Borșivka will be able to reverse the decision to eliminate the upper-secondary cycle and enroll students in the tenth grade.

For parents and students, the issue is not merely about preserving a single class, but about ensuring access to education under predictable conditions and, for the Romanian community, the opportunity to continue their studies in their mother tongue.