Since the start of the war, teachers across Europe have been doing their best to welcome and accommodate large numbers of Ukrainian children into their schools. Working with the country’s education system since 2015, EWC organized an expert webinar to assist educators in the important task of ensuring continued education for all.
Nearly four million people have fled Ukraine since February, when the Russian Federation attacked the country. About half of the displaced are children. Educators in Norway and around Europe quickly faced the challenge of how best to help integrate and accommodate these students in their new countries of arrival.
To address this need, EWC organized a webinar to share our in-depth knowledge of the Ukrainian education system with teachers and educators in Norway and abroad. The event, “School Education in Ukraine”, was arranged in cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute of Education Development in the end of March.
Nearly three hundred people joined the webinar, which featured a range of knowledgeable speakers from Ukraine. Teachers and trainers closely familiar with the country’s school system offered guidance, insights and advice on receiving and integrating Ukrainian students across Europe.
Questions arrived from multiple countries, and were answered live during the Q&A session. The participants wanted to know about the practicalities and technicalities of Ukraine’s national education structure, such as the curriculum, timeframes, exams, and special education aspects. But they were also concerned with larger issues, such as how to strike a balance between integrating the refugee students while preserving their ties to their home school system.
“Thank you for providing us with a greater understanding of your school system, which will help us to welcome and help the Ukrainian students,” wrote one participant as the webinar drew to a close. A listener from the Special Department for the Monitoring and Coordination of the Refugee Education in Greece added: “Thank you so much for the information provided. […] We already have a vast number of Ukrainian students enrolled in Greek schools over the past weeks.” From Norway’s Elverum commune, a participant summed it up: “Thank you so much for such valuable information. We will do our best to take care of and educate your/our common children!”