On 3 March 2026, the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, integrity, and good governance in the education sector. The Memorandum formalizes the partnership between the two parties, defines priority areas of cooperation, and establishes a framework for coordination of joint initiatives.
Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine:
“For the Ministry, transparency is not a separate component of the reform, but its foundation. Our cooperation with the EUACI has demonstrated that systemic risk management directly impacts the quality of decisions and, consequently, the opportunities for children. Every hryvnia of state funds must work for pupils, and integrity must become a sustainable standard of education policy.”
Cooperation between the Ministry and the EUACI began in May 2024 as a pilot initiative to minimize corruption risks in the use of state subventions for modernizing school canteens under the School Nutrition Reform. The model covers the full project cycle — from assessment of design documentation to remote construction monitoring — including cost verification, procurement analysis, sanctions screening, capacity building, and HACCP compliance checksю As a result, UAH 320.4 million in unjustified costs were identified at the stage of the project’s selection, enabling the financing of 36 additional canteens. This preventive approach helps address risks early and strengthens infrastructure governance in the education sector.
Allan Pagh Kristensen, Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative:
“The results achieved in the school nutrition reform show that a comprehensive and preventive approach to risk management can deliver tangible savings and systemic change. The school canteens have been constructed based on the values of integrity and transparency that are also the values we would like the school children to adhere to. Our cooperation is not only about canteens. We would like to promote integrity across Ukraine’s education system. If one would like to promote certain values, the schools are the best place to begin.”
Under the Memorandum, cooperation will deepen in 2026–2027. A new priority area will be the development and implementation of an IT tool for systematic monitoring of prices for school meals and catering services.
Beyond infrastructure, cooperation between the Ministry and EUACI also focuses on fostering a culture of integrity in education. This includes the implementation of the Education Integrity Development Strategy for 2026–2030, developed jointly by EUACI, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention. The Strategy envisions comprehensive transformation of the educational environment, updating learning materials and launching professional development programmes, and transparent management practices.
The signing of the Memorandum marks an important step in consolidating long-term cooperation aimed at ensuring that transparency and integrity become sustainable standards of Ukraine’s education policy.
