Solutions from Ukraine: Ministry of Education to establish boarding schools for students in war-torn regions
In the photo: Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi/Photo is provided by the event organizers
The Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science aims to provide transportation for children from front-line areas to "boarding schools" – institutions that offer shelter and alternating in-person education. Each region on the front line should have at least one boarding facility.
The Minister of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, stated this, Rubryka reports.
What is the problem?
According to Oksen Lisovyi, there are currently 900,000 Ukrainian students studying remotely, with over 600,000 located within Ukraine and an additional 250,000 studying abroad.
This has a significant impact on the education and socialization of these students. Such a trend can lead to a personnel disaster in the state.
"We have 900,000 students enrolled in distance education, with over 600,000 in Ukraine and approximately 250,000 studying abroad. Additionally, 900,000 students participate in a hybrid format with alternating schedules or mixed classes. Our "School "offline" project aims to provide all necessary resources for successfully returning as many children as possible to physical classrooms. Our goal for this year is to decrease the number of students exclusively enrolled in online education by half," Lisovyi said.
What is the solution?
Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Science plans to provide transportation for children from the frontline areas to "boarding schools" – institutions with a shelter where alternating face-to-face education can take place.
How does it work?
Sessions during which children can live and study in such schools can last a week, two, three, or more.
"We are discussing the possibility of holding in-person classes for students from schools where face-to-face education cannot be organized. It is essential to find regions where there are safe places. These can be sanatoriums, former rest camps for children, and vocational education institutions that can be repurposed for this temporary solution during the war.
These should be objects of educational or recreational infrastructure that can accommodate children in a dormitory or boarding house, feed them, provide training and psychological support," Lisovyi said.
"Boarding schools" will help children in cases where there are no other solutions to return them to full-time education. The Ministry of Education and Science is already negotiating with donors to finance this project.
"You can take children, for instance, from Zaporizhzhia to Kropyvnytskyi and host two-week programs there in rotations with their own teams of educators. For example, the school goes with its teachers, while on-site, there are also teacher-psychologists who work with the children.
We are currently selecting a base to invest in. But this question is not very quick. Lord willing, we will have time to implement at least one such project by September," said the minister.
For reference:
As Rubryka wrote, community representatives were presented with eight repurposed projects at the "School Shelters: Updates on Fund Distribution Regulations."
Rubryka reported that the Ministry of Reconstruction has developed a manual for constructing shelters in kindergartens and schools. The guidebook emphasizes implementing measures to guarantee a safe and accessible environment for students and participants of all ages in the educational process.
