The two years of pandemic followed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine threaten the education and school trajectory of Ukrainian children, warned on Tuesday the Fund for United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
The UN agency stresses that both the children who stayed in Ukraine and those who fled the country after the Russian invasion in February 2022 see their fourth school year disrupted.
In total, the conflict and exile threaten the education of 6.7 million Ukrainian children and youth between the ages of 3 and 18, denounced Regina de Dominicis, UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia.
Children in this former Soviet republic already show widespread signs of loss of knowledge, especially in their command of the Ukrainian language, reading and mathematics, the expert warned, after visiting the country.
In a statement to the press in Geneva, De Dominicis specified that more than 1,300 schools were “totally destroyed”and others have been severely damaged and cannot be used.
“In Ukraine itself, attacks on schools continue, leaving children deeply distraught and deprived of safe places to learn”he pointed.
“This not only forced Ukrainian children to struggle to progress in their educationbut also to not forget what they learned when their schools functioned normally”he declared.
About half of the Ukrainian teachers registered deterioration in the level of language, mathematics and foreign languages, indicate the data cited by the United Nations Fund.
In addition, only a third of Ukrainian students were able to continue their studies safely. 100% face-to-face One third was able to do it partially and another third was forced to do it remotely.
Unicef also highlights that two thirds of preschool-age children do not attend class. In areas close to the front, this figure reaches 75%
The role of the school in times of war
Ukrainian children who fled the country are also affected by the war, UNICEF insists. More than half of them are not enrolled in the school system of the host country, among other things due to the language barrier, transportation difficulties or the lack of space in local schools, the agency warns.
Faced with this situation, some families try to get their children to follow distance classes, but “some refugee children may have dropped out of school altogether”warns the UN agency.
“In times of crisis or war, schools imply much more than a place of teaching”underline.
The establishments “They can provide children, already coping with loss, displacement and violence, with a sense of routine and security, the opportunity to make friends and receive help from teachers,” explains UNICEF.
The school can also improve nutrition, facilitate access to vaccines and other aid, he says.
The agency works with local and international partners both in Ukraine and in host countries to improve access to education through renovating schools and organizing remedial classes.
The goal is to help 300,000 Ukrainian children who are at risk of losing what they have acquired during the next school year.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
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