The Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of Education, developed a new sanitary regulation for institutions of general secondary education. According to representatives of the Ministry of Health, the new sanitary standards described in it take into account the needs of modern schoolchildren and relate to nutrition, organization of the educational process, homework and living conditions at school.

The department calls for limiting the amount of salt, sugar and sweeteners in food for students. There will be a ban on harmful products such as fizzy drinks. A schoolboy's menu should consist of at least four dishes, and the calorie content should not exceed 30% of the daily diet. Schools will also be allowed to organize catering, when complex lunches for students are prepared by contractors.

Even now, it is not recommended to give homework to 1st and 2nd graders. Until the 9th grade, students should not spend more than an hour on tasks, in senior classes - more than 1.5 hours. According to the old rules, high school students could be burdened with four hours of homework.

The Ministry of Health intends to cancel the rules for arranging desks in classrooms. Now the distance between rows of desks is clearly regulated and is 60 centimeters. If desired, schools will be able to arrange the desks in any order. And in elementary grades, it is recommended to equip areas for games.

After the approval of the new sanitary rules, teachers will be able to use interactive boards, multimedia technologies and devices in the educational process. The possibilities of modern engineering support are taken into account, including lighting, Internet access, etc.

The new sanitary standards are very appropriate given the fact that an educational reform was launched in Ukraine, and the last time changes in the standards were made 17 years ago. Proposals and comments on the new rules are accepted by the department until the end of September, after which they will be approved or revised.