European law requires that all children be educated.
The latest UN data states that as of 23 April 2022, the total number of displaced is almost 5.2 million. Half of the displaced are children, ie 2.5 million. Some of them are preschoolers. Most of the school age. Therefore, Ukraine estimates that there are currently about 2 million schoolchildren abroad, educational ombudsman Serhiy Gorbachev told ZN.UA.
Ukrainian children fleeing the war in Ukraine are in the vast majority of European countries, where all children in these countries are required to attend school.
“Some of the children try to study at the same time in local schools and remotely in Ukrainian schools, some attend Ukrainian schools on Saturdays and Sundays. But this is a double burden on children, and therefore some of them study only in local schools. This is a big problem, which, unfortunately, is not yet realized and has no solution. Because in fact we can lose an entire educational generation, because a very large proportion of our children do not have the opportunity to study in Ukrainian programs. They are losing the opportunity to study in their native language, losing touch with their homeland and having great problems getting documents on Ukrainian education, “Gorbachev said.
He thanked all those who provided shelter to Ukrainian citizens. mostly mothers with children. He stressed that Ukraine is trying to agree on the changes needed in Ukrainian students' curricula.
“There are other programs: according to the list of subjects, according to the age distribution, and according to the evaluation criteria. If a child attends a German, French or other school, there are subjects that correlate with our educational programs. These are, for example, biology, mathematics, chemistry, ie the exact sciences. But even there there are VERY significant differences in the content of programs, the distribution of educational material by age groups (classes), assessment criteria and so on. And if we talk about the subjects of the humanitarian cycle – the history of Ukraine, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian literature, Ukrainian art – they are simply absent as such, “- said the Education Ombudsman.
A separate issue – certificates of education.
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“Foreign schools do not have the right to issue a certificate of basic secondary education and a certificate of complete secondary education of the Ukrainian type. These documents can be issued by the International Ukrainian School, which educates children abroad and coordinates the educational process in Saturday schools, and some Ukrainian Saturday schools with which the International Ukrainian School has a contract. You can find a list of such schools on the website of the International Ukrainian School. Students also have the right to catch up with the curriculum in certain subjects before the new school year and undergo an annual assessment at a Ukrainian school, “Gorbachev said.
The ombudsman proposed a special learning mechanism for Ukrainian children.
“We will ask that they provide an opportunity for our children to receive education through a special mechanism. For example, a model is possible according to which our children attend school every day in the host country, and at certain hours, for example, from 10 to 12, they study remotely in a Ukrainian school according to Ukrainian programs, with Ukrainian teachers. But this requires that decisions be agreed between the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministries of Education of the host countries, and interstate agreements are needed. Such work is already underway, but it must be done much faster and more decisively – and it is necessary to inform the public so that Ukrainian parents, choosing a school for their children abroad, are well aware of all important conditions and consequences of such a decision, “Gorbachev said./p>
But there are also changes that need to be implemented directly at the legislative level. For example, the right of a child not to attend school if he or she is taking part in our school's distance learning program.
“Yes, this is a really huge problem and it should also be the subject of negotiations. It should be agreed that according to the certificate from the Ukrainian school or the Ukrainian education authority, the child has the right not to visit the host school, as he/she is studying under our program. But this requires changes in accordance with the legislation of the host countries. And here the Ministry of Education must cooperate very quickly in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As far as I know from my own experience of cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our diplomats are ready for this, they are ready to do it, but they must receive clear advice, recommendations from educational experts on how to do it. We currently have a small informal group of specialists, and we are preparing certain proposals, which I will submit as an educational ombudsman to the Cabinet of Ministers, the Verkhovna Rada, and the Office of the President, if necessary. I also know of various similar groups of professional experts working in the same direction. But this activity must be coordinated, efforts must be made, and all interested and professional people must be invited to cooperate, “the ombudsman told ZN.UA.
Gorbachev warned that the government and society as a whole do not understand how serious the problem of losing the educational generation is.
“The urgency and danger of the fact that we are simply losing the educational generation of Ukrainian children is currently not recognized and is not present in society as a problem. Of course, we have a much greater common danger – Russia's military aggression, the destruction of the country and the death of our fellow citizens. But we must realize that our struggle is a struggle for the future of Ukraine. And our future is our children, our education. We must guarantee that after the victory we have a generation that will be Ukrainian, not German, Czech, Polish, etc. – to all respect for these countries and gratitude for their support of our struggle, “said Gorbachev.
< p>“As an educational ombudsman, I have to take care of and protect the rights not only of children but also of teachers. If appropriate mechanisms are developed, Ukrainian teachers abroad can be employed to teach our children in integration classes according to Ukrainian programs. But, unfortunately, Ukrainian teachers abroad currently have very big problems with admission to work: because their qualifications need to be confirmed in the host country, and this is quite a long and complicated procedure. Although common sense suggests that if a Ukrainian teacher works with Ukrainian children under the Ukrainian curriculum, he does not need a national certificate in the host country: he already has it all – just to work with Ukrainian children. Some countries have already taken steps towards such a logical decision, but not all, “- summed up the educational ombudsman.
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