The state budget of Ukraine has been replenished with over 125 million US dollars thanks to concessional financing from the World Bank aimed at supporting the country’s education and healthcare sectors.
This is reported by Finway
Funding for the Education Sector: LEARN Program
The Ukrainian government received 105.7 million dollars under the project “Enhancing Access and Resilience of Education in Crisis Conditions in Ukraine” (LEARN). An additional 31.1 million dollars has been provided as a grant, with a corresponding agreement signed between the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the World Bank. The grant funds will be directed towards the development of preschool education, which is especially relevant in the context of military actions.
As part of the implementation of the LEARN project, the state has achieved a number of important indicators:
- Nearly 8,500 students and teachers gained access to protected shelters in educational institutions.
- Over 105,000 teachers have been trained according to the standards of the New Ukrainian School for 8th grade.
- 381,500 8th grade students received free new textbooks developed in accordance with the requirements of the New Ukrainian School.
- The formula for distributing the educational subvention for 2026 has been updated, which provides for an increase in the minimum number of students per school by at least 30% compared to 2025.
The key goal of LEARN is to improve the educational process during martial law, creating safe and comfortable conditions for learning. Overall, the World Bank has signed agreements with Ukraine amounting to approximately 451 million dollars under this project, of which over 305 million have already been allocated to the state budget.
Support for Healthcare: THRIVE Project
Under the project “Transforming Healthcare through Reform and Investment in Efficiency” (THRIVE), another tranche of 19.5 million dollars has been received into the state budget of Ukraine. This project aims to enhance the efficiency of funding in the healthcare sector, improve the quality of services, strengthen the Medical Guarantee Program, and enhance the institutional capacity of the National Health Service of Ukraine. The goal is to ensure better access for citizens to quality medical care and reduce the financial burden on the population.
THRIVE has been implemented since 2024, and the World Bank has already provided about 320 million dollars of the planned 454 million.
Both projects utilize the Program-for-Results (PforR) financial instrument, which provides funding only after achieving clearly defined results and meeting established performance indicators.
“The support of the World Bank is critically important for the reforms of Ukraine’s education and healthcare systems in wartime. Since the launch of the projects in 2024, the Bank has already provided $625 million, allowing for the improvement of service quality and strengthening the resilience of these key sectors,” noted Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko.