35-minute lessons are not a new standard: teachers have been allowed to take students' fatigue into account

Ukrainian teachers can, if necessary, shorten individual lessons from 45 to 40 or 35 minutes if they see that students are tired. This was stated on September 22 on a telethon by the Minister of Education and Science, Andriy Butenko.

According to him, what matters is not the formal observance of the set lesson duration, but students’ mastery of the necessary material and achieving the outcomes prescribed by the curriculum.

Andriy Butenko explained:

You can shorten a lesson by a few minutes, making it not 45, but 40 or 35 minutes — depending on how tired the children seem.

At the same time, this is not about introducing a new standard according to which all lessons will last 35 minutes. A teacher can change the duration of a specific lesson according to the situation and the condition of the students.

Teachers can also rearrange subjects in the schedule. This allows them to hold more difficult lessons when it is easier for students to concentrate and absorb new material, explained the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

Earlier we wrote:

• Morning alarm — don’t go to school: the Ministry of Education and Science approved new recommendations for schooling
• Children will study during the summer: what changes await students this academic year
• Schools are shortening lesson lengths: how long will children study now?
• Ukraine updated the regulations for conducting online classes under martial law
• Mykolaiv schoolchildren sit in classes wearing outerwear. The city education office ordered to shorten lessons due to cold in classrooms