The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a new systemic project in Ukraine, "Lifting Education Access and Resilience in Times of Need" (LEARN), worth a total of $415 million, aimed at improving primary and secondary education in Ukraine, which will cover one million students, teachers and school staff.

"It is critical to mitigate the impact of the war on children, especially the most vulnerable by minimizing disruptions to their learning," World Bank Country Director for Eastern Europe Bob Saum said, according to the World Bank's press release on Saturday night.

It is specified that the LEARN programs provide for measures aimed at improving the general safety conditions in schools, providing free transport for vulnerable categories of students, training teachers, purchasing textbooks and improving management in the education sector. The project also aims to help implement a comprehensive education reform in grades 1-12, known as the New Ukrainian School (NUS), which meets EU standards, the bank said.

"The LEARN project will help thousands of Ukrainian students return to protected learning conditions," Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

It is specified that the project is being implemented using the financial instrument "Program-for-Results" (PforR).

The Ministry of Finance said LEARN is aimed at improving the conditions for teaching and learning, implemented through subventions from the state budget to local budgets. The World Bank said the initial funding for the LEARN program includes $235 million from the ADVANCE Ukraine Trust Fund of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), $150 million from the Special Recovery Program for Ukraine and Moldova of the International Development Association (IDA), and $30 million from the URTF. The program provides for results-based financing that can be scaled up if additional funds are available.

As stated in the Ministry of Finance press release, the signing of the agreement on the project should take place in September 2024, and by the end of 2024, based on the achievement of pre-defined indicators, Ukraine will be able to receive $200 million in the general fund of the state budget.

The responsible executor of the PforR LEARN project in supervision and coordination is the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has been determined as the specialized implementing agency, which will be responsible for the implementation of the LEARN project, its monitoring and evaluation.