As kids return to the classroom and share their summertime experiences with classmates and instructors, the start of a new school year should be a moment of anticipation and hope, "However, there is apprehension among the four million kids in Ukraine. Many schools devastated during the conflict are receiving children returning with tales of disaster and uncertainty about whether their instructors and friends will be waiting for them. Given their uncertainty about their children's safety, many parents are reluctant to send them to school.
Less than 60% of the country's schools have been certified safe and qualified to reopen, even though thousands of them have been damaged or destroyed. An elementary school that had been repaired after being destroyed during the first few weeks of the fighting in Ukraine on the first day of the new academic year. Due to the school's bomb shelter's capacity, only 300 students—or just 14% of the school's pre-war capacity—can attend any time.
When it is judged safe, UNICEF collaborates with the government to assist Ukraine's children in returning to school, either in person, if that is feasible or through online or community-based substitutes. Since the start of the war, some 760,000 children have obtained official or informal schooling. Interventions in mental health and psychosocial support funded by UNICEF have helped more than 1.7 million children and their carers.
Schools in Ukraine are in dire need of funding to construct bomb shelters rather than playgrounds. Instead of teaching students about road safety, they teach them unexploded explosives. This is the sobering reality for kids, parents, and instructors in Ukraine.
Rehabilitating schools, giving instructors and students computers, tablets, and materials, as well as offering instruction on how to keep safe during a conflict, are all part of efforts to send kids back to school.
"The quality of Ukrainian children's education has been seriously undermined. Their physical and mental health is severely compromised after more than two years of the COVID-19 epidemic and six months of the war's intensification. More has to be done to address what has been a depressing reality for many.
While there are constant risks to the lives and welfare of Ukrainian pupils, refugee children confront different difficulties. An estimated 650,000 Ukrainian children living as refugees in 12 host countries as of July 31, 2022, still needed to be registered in their respective nations' educational systems. In addition to working with governments and partners to ensure that Ukrainian refugee children are enrolled in schools or have access to online learning, UNICEF has provided help for nearly half of them with formal or non-formal education.
With humanitarian financial transfers, UNICEF has reached 616,000 individuals in Ukraine, including the most vulnerable families. Although donors have been very kind, there is concern that demands may outrun available funds as winter approaches.
Great post!
The trauma that these young children have to go through is unimaginable which would also be a hurdle for them in focusing on learning. Additionally, the lack of playgrounds and exercise would not only impact their physical health but constantly being indoors and on guard would also be a depressing environment to be in.
The steps taken by UNICEF should be appreciated. However, does a language barrier exist? If so, how would that impact education? In addition to informal education, ways for collective online teaching and learning should also be explored by organizations like UNICEF which may have a positive learning outcome for these children.
While humanitarian aid is being provided to Ukraine, Education certainly continues to suffer in the country. Despite certain schools reopening, the consequences of the conflict are beyond that. For children to return to school buildings that were totally destroyed, the mental toll is immeasurable. According to the Ukraine Health Department, two thirds of the school going children have suffered psychologically because of the conflict. The intensity of the conflict has had a major impact on education which looks to be in a state of slow restoration.