How to get a license for a private school in Ukraine?

In May 2020, we were contacted by a Client who had long wanted to open a private secondary school in Kyiv. However, the quarantine made its adjustments. So, now the Client hoped to get the Educational License and to organize everything by September 1. He was interested in a number of questions:

• Where to start if you want to open a private school in Ukraine?
• How long does it take and whether it is necessary to hire staff before obtaining the license (because we have heard about the requirements to staff, but also we’ve heard that a license can be obtained within six months)?
• Can we rent half the size of  premises if students study on a two-shift system?
• Can we obtain a license only for elementary school?

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Where to start the process of obtaining the Private School License?

The requirements for general secondary education can be divided into three groups:

• staff requirements;
• technological requirements;
• organizational requirements.

It is desirable to start working in parallel on all three directions. But still, if the educational program can be rewritten and the staff can be hired relatively quickly, it is not so easy to find the appropriate premises.

Therefore, first of all, we advise you to find the premises that will meet the licensing requirements for an Educational License. If you have any doubts about whether the premises that you already have are compliant, or if you want to clearly understand the requirements for the premises in practice, please contact our lawyers.

We can help with both the evaluation of the premises and the subsequent development of the educational program, as well as the verification of employee records.

How long does it take to obtain the Educational License?

According to the legislation, the licensing authority should make a decision on granting a license (provided that there are no issues with the documents), within ten business days from the date of receiving the application.

Due to quarantine, this period can be extended to a month. However, the most time-consuming stage is usually a preparatory stage. Of course, with experience in obtaining the Educational License and ready-made templates for many documents, we can significantly reduce your time to prepare documents for submission to the licensing authority.

Find more about the list of services for obtaining the Educational License here

Do I need to hire staff before I get a Private School License?

Yes. At least key personnel will need to be hired.

First of all, you need to find a candidate for the position of the director of the establishment. According to the licensing requirements, only a person who has higher education and at least a master’s degree may head the secondary school.

As for the number of employees, the licensing requirements refer to the standard staff regulations of general secondary education establishments. These standard state regulations contain a table, which helps calculate the number of employees you need depending on the number of students. There is even a formula to calculate the number of caretakers needed per school. However, there is also a note that these regulations do not establish norms for the number of teachers and the number of their rates is determined based on the number of hours per curriculum, the division of classes into groups, the number of hours, and other legal requirements for the organization of the educational process.

Thus, it is first necessary to understand the number of students that the school will be able to accommodate, to develop the curriculum, and then to form up the teaching staff.

Why form up?

The fact is that when developing an educational program, you may need recommendations from experienced teachers who will understand that in the future they will have to work using these programs. Ideally, teachers would need to coordinate periodically with specialists involved in licensing of educational activities. This cooperation between educational specialists and legal professionals will help create programs that will satisfy the licensing authority and ensure a quality school’s workflow.

Can I open only elementary school in Ukraine?

In accordance with subparagraph 13 of paragraph 2 of the licensing regulations, general secondary education is divided into:

• primary education;
• basic secondary education;
• profession-oriented secondary education.

If you want and have the opportunity to create a school of not all levels, but only one of them, you can do this. In this case, you need to prepare an educational program for elementary school only.

Can I have half the premises for the school if my students study on a two-shift system?

In accordance with subparagraph 3.2 of paragraph 3 (Main premises) of the State Sanitary Rules and Regulations, if the school is placed in the adapted building, the set of premises and their area are determined in each case separately, depending on the following factors:

• the type of the general education establishment;
• the number and age of students;
• the number of classes, etc.

Thus, if students study on a two-shift system and do not intersect, the area of the school may be smaller. The main criterion is that the available space should be sufficient to allow students to complete the educational program.

But at the same time, there are also requirements to the schedule of lessons (Appendix 6 to the abovementioned State Sanitary Rules and Regulations). In particular, it states that the strongest mental activity among schoolchildren falls on the interval from ten to twelve hours. Therefore, for younger students, subjects that require significant mental activity should be conducted at 2-3 lessons, and for middle-aged and older students - at 2, 3, 4 lessons. Thus, if you plan to open an elementary school only, you are unlikely to be allowed to organize the educational process on a two-shift system. Such questions can be considered on a case-by-case basis, as we can find an optimal solution to any situation.

As for our Client, we offered him several scenarios, and he decided to open a private school with a full cycle of general secondary education. We helped him to prepare the necessary documents and filed them with the licensing authority.

If you want to open a school in Ukraine and need professional assistance in obtaining the Educational License, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will help with both the preparation and completion of the licensing procedure.

Didn’t find an answer to your question?

Learn more about obtaining the Educational License here.