25 educational establishments will receive funding to purchase equipment and to set up and modernise school kitchen units. The Government has approved the second allocation of a subsidy of UAH 421.1 million for the refurbishment of school canteens in 15 regions.

The list includes schools in Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions. The list also includes a military lyceum.

The refurbishment involves improving food preparation and catering arrangements in line with modern safety and quality standards. It is also an important step towards fostering a culture of healthy nutrition among children.

Educational institutions submitted applications via digital platforms – the Unified Digital Integrated Information and Analytical System for Managing the Reconstruction of Real Estate, Construction and Infrastructure (DREAM ecosystem) and the Unified State Electronic System in the Field of Construction, the ‘Automated Information Complex for Educational Management’ (AIKOM). The systems automatically ranked the projects by priority. The final proposals for allocation were prepared by a commission of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine with the participation of independent experts, including the European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI).

The modernisation of school canteen units is part of the school nutrition reform, which was launched in 2020 on the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska. The reform aims to foster healthy habits among children and Ukrainian families. It encompasses the updating of nutritional standards, food preparation techniques, and equipment for school kitchen units.

Previously, the Government had already allocated UAH 46.5 million to finish the refurbishment of 19 school canteens, which began in 2025.

Overall, about 20% of school kitchen units have already been modernised: 188 using state subsidies (155 completed, 33 nearing completion), and over 1,500 canteens have been renovated thanks to funding from local budgets and support from international partners.