Although Ulaanbaatar City has officially commissioned several new educational facilities this year, including seven schools, 19 kindergartens, and seven primary schools, a significant number of these buildings remain unopened, their classrooms unoccupied and their halls unusually quiet. According to Deputy Mayor A.Amartuvshin, delays related not to construction but to basic furnishing and operational preparation have kept many projects from serving students as intended.
During a briefing, A.Amartuvshin outlined the scale of the city’s ongoing educational development. In 2024 alone, Ulaanbaatar is implementing 139 projects in the education sector. These include the construction of 43 new schools, 67 kindergartens, and 22 primary school–kindergarten complexes, reflecting a long-term effort to ease chronic classroom overcrowding and improve access to early childhood and education.
Despite major investments and visible construction progress, operational readiness is lagging behind. “Although we have commissioned seven schools, 19 kindergartens, and seven primary schools, several kindergartens have not been able to begin operating at all. Meanwhile, some schools are functioning at well below their full capacity,” A.Amartuvshin explained.
One example of this gap between construction and real-world use is a kindergarten in the first khoroo of Khan-Uul District. The project began in 2020 and was finally completed and handed over on November 17. While residents had eagerly anticipated its opening—given the high demand for kindergarten placements in the district—the facility remains unopened due to delays in furnishing and final preparations. Similar issues are affecting multiple facilities across the city.
Another long-stalled project, an extension of School No. 62 in the 19th khoroo of Songinokhairkhan District, presents an even clearer example of prolonged delays. Construction started in 2018 but was left incomplete for years. In July 2024, authority over the project was transferred to the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, enabling the city government to allocate the necessary funding directly from the municipal budget. Following this shift, the extension—comprising 25 new classrooms—was finally completed.
Yet, despite being structurally ready, the building cannot operate at full capacity. As of today, the Ministry of Education has furnished only 12 of the 25 classrooms. The remaining 13 classrooms still lack desks, chairs, and other essential furniture, leaving nearly half the building unusable. The deputy mayor then noted that 12 other schools are experiencing similar shortages. At the same time, eight kindergartens have not received the soft and hard furnishings—such as mats, beds, shelves, and tables—required to begin operations. These gaps have forced some institutions to delay opening indefinitely. “These unresolved issues are directly affecting children’s access to education. We cannot fully utilize the facilities we have worked so hard to complete,” the deputy mayor emphasized.
Looking toward the future, A.Amartuvshin highlighted several major investments planned for the coming years. The 2026 state budget allocates funding for 10 new schools and kindergartens in Ulaanbaatar. Meanwhile, the draft city budget proposes constructing an additional 11 educational facilities, bringing the total number of planned new buildings even higher. Land clearance and preparation work is also underway for 33 future school and kindergarten sites, which will support consecutive waves of construction.
If current plans stay on schedule, Ulaanbaatar aims to commission 84 schools and kindergartens during 2026–2027. Officials expect this expansion to significantly reduce student overcrowding, lower classroom density, and improve educational accessibility citywide.
