The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior in the Czech Republic as of Sunday midnight, approximately 383,000 refugees from Ukraine were staying with temporary protection. Of these, 98,000 were children and young people under the age of 18. More than 22,600 children were less than six years old, 53,000 from six to 15 years old and over 22,300 from 15 to 18 years old.
“Approximately 50,000 children were enrolled in schools, which is one of the highest numbers across Europeu,” said the minister. According to him, the Ministry of Education had to increase the number of teachers and school assistants as well as places in schools throughout the Czech Republic. A website and a special telephone line were created to support enrollment of children in schools, said Bek.
According to him, the Czech Republic is still struggling with “smaller or bigger problems”. He mentioned the insufficient capacity of schools in some regions, which, according to him, does not allow Ukrainian children to be included in regular classes. Language preparation or little involvement of children in leisure activities is also an obstacle.
“Inclusive education, integration of Ukrainian children and cooperation with Ukraine jthey are important not only for children and their parents, but also for individual states. Goals and interests are common to all European countries,” said Bek.
According to him, the resort wants to focus mainly on teaching Czech this year. In two months, he is going to launch widespread testing of foreigners from Czech in schools to determine the state of their knowledge. In the second semester, the teaching of Czech as a foreign language should be strengthened. Other topics also include mental health support and psychosocial support, the minister calculated.
The conference was organized by the Ministry of Education with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Approximately 160 education experts from a dozen countries, including Ukraine, took part in it. The representatives presented their experiences with the integration of Ukrainian child refugees into schools Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova and other countries. Among other things, they discussed the possibilities of the best possible education in the host countries so that Ukrainian schoolchildren do not lose contact with their country.
“Children and youth are important for the reconstruction of the country (after the war). Ukraine will need an educated workforce. Investing in the education of Ukrainian children is the best investment in the future of their country that our regions can make,” said Regina De Dominicis, head of the UNICEF office for Europe and Central Asia.
