In 2019, Ukraine established the Ministry of Digital Transformation with an ambitious goal: to position the country as a global leader in digitalization. Achieving this required more than just moving public services online—it demanded a systemic societal transformation. One of the key challenges was low digital literacy: a nationwide survey conducted that year using the European Commission’s DESI methodology revealed that 53% of Ukrainians had below-basic digital skills, with 15% lacking them entirely. This critical gap spurred the development of targeted solutions focused on digital education.

From the outset, digital literacy was recognized as one of the Ministry’s four strategic priorities, alongside e-services, broadband access, and increasing the IT sector’s contribution to GDP. However, the absence of unified terminology, assessment tools, and implementation policies called for a comprehensive approach.

In 2021, Ukraine approved the Concept for Developing Digital Competences—marking the first time digital literacy entered official state discourse. The European DigComp 2.2 framework was adapted for various groups—from citizens and educators to healthcare professionals, civil servants, and entrepreneurs. Based on the national framework, 14 regional strategies were developed to ensure localized implementation. Digital competence has since become a cornerstone of economic recovery, social inclusion, and human capital development.

Diia.Education: A National-Scale Digital Tool

Launched in January 2020, the Diia.Education platform became a key driver of digital upskilling across the country. The project was officially presented with the participation of the President of Ukraine.

Using an edutainment model that blends learning content with storytelling, simulations, and interactive elements, the platform quickly gained popularity. Within its first phase, it launched three educational series to build basic digital skills among the general public.

By 2021, the platform surpassed one million users, with all courses accredited with ECTS credits. It became a central topic at national educational events. Partnerships with global tech companies allowed integration of best practices, and Ukraine’s digital education model gained international recognition.

Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, Diia.Education quickly adapted to new needs. Courses on psychological resilience, cyber hygiene, and safety were introduced. Support expanded for teachers, students, veterans, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Legal aid and career guidance programs were launched.

By 2023, the share of Ukrainians with below-basic digital skills had dropped to 40.4%—a 12.6 percentage point improvement since 2019. At the same time, 38% of the adult population had reached advanced digital proficiency, up 12.5 percentage points.

To ensure continuous progress and inform future policymaking, the Ministry institutionalized biannual national research on digital skills, with the next assessment scheduled for 2025.

In the same year, with support from Google.org, the platform underwent a comprehensive relaunch under the leadership of Valeriya Ionan, then Deputy Minister for European Integration at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, now serving as Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine on Innovations, Digitalisation and Global Partnerships. The relaunch focused on reskilling more than 6.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). New courses helped thousands of Ukrainians master digital tools, access remote work, and re-enter the labor market.

As unemployment rose due to the ongoing war, reskilling emerged as a vital national response. Diia.Education became not just a tool for learning, but a lifeline—facilitating digital inclusion, accelerating reintegration, and helping people adapt to rapidly changing realities.

The “IT Studios” project—a revamped computer science curriculum—started as a pilot and by 2023 covered one-third of Ukrainian schools. Students engage in interactive exercises in programming, algorithms, and data work. The materials are designed to fully replace traditional textbooks. This approach fosters a culture where students create their own digital products rather than merely consuming knowledge.

Inclusion and Accessibility: A Platform for Everyone

In 2024, Diia.Education established itself as a model of inclusivity in digital learning. The platform launched a dedicated accessibility section and received a 9 out of 10 rating based on UNDP accessibility standards. To ensure that no one is left behind, a wide range of adaptations were introduced:

  • 240+ educational series were equipped with Ukrainian and English subtitles, enabling people with hearing impairments to engage with content.

  • More than 25 courses were adapted into Ukrainian Sign Language, expanding access for the deaf community.

  • Educational series were also dubbed in English, providing access to non-Ukrainian speakers both in Ukraine and abroad.

  • A user-friendly interface for visually impaired learners was developed, featuring settings to adjust text size, cursor, letter spacing, and contrast modes, as well as tools like line tracking and link highlighting.

  • All platform images include alternative text, compatible with screen readers.

  • A plain-language glossary of modern terms makes content more accessible for users with different levels of education, sector-specific knowledge, or foreign language proficiency.

These efforts reflect a fundamental principle behind Diia.Education: digital learning must be open, inclusive, and empowering for everyone.

Measurable Impact and Societal Effects

By 2025, Diia.Education had established itself as a cornerstone of Ukraine’s digital transformation, with approximately 2.8 million registered users, more than 4.3 million certificates issued, and a 75% course completion rate—significantly higher than global e-learning benchmarks. Its integration with employment platforms directly helped over 250,000 Ukrainians find new jobs, reinforcing the platform’s role in economic recovery.

To meet diverse learning needs, Diia.Education offers free access to a wide range of formats, including:

  • 230 short educational series with certification

  • Over 200 microlearning “Skill Bytes” (5-minute Reels delivering one practical insight or skill)

  • 65 interactive simulators that let users explore new professions through realistic scenarios

  • 11 self-assessment tools—including Digigram, Cybergram, and Entregram—used by over 1.2 million Ukrainians, including civil servants, teachers, healthcare workers, and librarians

The most in-demand courses include Basics of Cyber Hygiene, Barrier-Free Literacy, and Attention! Cyber Fraudsters.

The platform’s reach spans the entire country, with the highest user activity observed in the Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Vinnytsia regions.

Beyond learning outcomes, Diia.Education has become a platform for societal resilience. Its nationwide cyber hygiene campaigns received international recognition, including Effie Awards, highlighting its impact not only in education but in building digital trust and public awareness at scale.

What makes Diia.Education unique — and why it matters

Diia.Education stands out as a nationally-led and impact-driven project that succeeded in changing digital behaviour at scale. According to Ukraine’s national digital skills survey, the project has already achieved its initial strategic goal of engaging over 6 million citizens in digital literacy programmes. As of 2023, 93% of adults aged 18–70 have digital skills, up 8 percentage points since 2019. Among teenagers aged 10–17, digital literacy reaches 95%, and among people with hearing impairments aged 18–59 — a remarkable 99% (+15% over four years). The next wave of the survey is expected at the end of 2025. These results demonstrate not only widespread reach, but inclusive progress across age and accessibility groups.

This success became possible thanks to rare alignment between political leadership, early donor trust, and strategic ecosystem design. Instead of offering generic courses, Diia.Education introduced a modular system — from self-assessment and bite-sized learning to reskilling and employment tools.

Today, the platform is part of Ukraine’s public digital infrastructure. Close to 400 partners — across government, civil society, business and education — now contribute to its reach and relevance.

As First Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov noted, Diia.Education has evolved beyond digital literacy: it now supports new knowledge and new professions — helping citizens adapt and recover through learning.

Future Development: Personalization Through AI

As Diia.Education continues to scale, the next chapter in its evolution focuses on personalized learning powered by artificial intelligence. While the platform already offers diverse formats—bite-sized courses, microlearning modules, and interactive simulators—2025 marks the beginning of its transformation into a fully adaptive, AI-driven ecosystem.

In the initial phase, two core tools will be introduced:

  • AI Navigator: a smart guidance system that recommends personalized learning content—courses, simulators, and assessments—based on a user's interests, skill level, and career goals.

  • AI Assistant: an interactive support tool that helps learners understand complex terms, summarizes key concepts, and suggests supplementary materials—while intentionally avoiding direct answers to promote independent thinking.

These tools will be powered exclusively by Gemini, Google’s large language model, enabling highly contextual and personalized learning experiences across the platform.

The integration of AI will follow an iterative rollout model. Pilot features will be tested with users, refined through feedback, and scaled gradually to ensure usability and relevance. In subsequent phases, Diia.Education plans to introduce additional capabilities, including a Voice Education Assistant, AI-powered simulators, AI-based interview preparation tools, and enhanced IT Studios to support customized learning pathways for students.

Through this long-term transformation, Diia.Education aims to embed learning seamlessly into daily life—making education more continuous, adaptive, and accessible for every Ukrainian. We sincerely thank the East Europe Foundation for its consistent support in developing the national Diia.Education platform. With the support of Switzerland through the EGAP Program, we are expanding opportunities for Ukrainians to reskill, explore career paths, gain modern skills, and access innovative formats such as Byte Learning.

Ruslana Korenchuk

Head of Diia.Education