International Community Urged to Help Deliver Quality, Comprehensive Education for Ukrainian Children — Global Issues
KYIV Kyiv & NAIROBI, Sep 13 (IPS) – In a major escalation of the conflict that began in 2014 and is Europe’s largest since World War II, Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, thousands of Ukrainians—many of them women and children—lost their lives. Scores of others have been driven from their homes, clinging to what’s left of the education system as their communities crumble.
On a high-level UN mission to Ukraine this week, Education Cannot Wait (ECW)—a global fund for education in emergencies and ongoing crises within the United Nations—met with war-affected children and local partners. The mission looks at the impact of the conflict on the nearly 4 million children across Ukraine who have had their education severely disrupted.
“We visited a school in Kyiv, where classes continue despite the constant threat of attacks. Alarms often indicate imminent danger. The school has a shelter for 500 children, but there are more than 1,000 students. To make sure that everyone gets shelter. If necessary, children primary school children go in the morning, while high school children go in the afternoon,” Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of ECW, told IPS.
“We also spoke with psychologists and parents, including single mothers who were displaced from the east, north, and south of the country. They arrived in Kyiv, leaving behind the fathers and grandparents of their children. We were able to see how powerful it is. focusing on mental health and social services to help children and families face these challenges, with good cooperation especially among teachers, psychologists, parents, and the general public The Ministry of Education works hard to ensure safe learning environments for all children added.
According to Sherif, Ukrainian children continue their education in core subjects such as reading and math, as well as art education, even under these difficult conditions. ECW was among the first to invest in education in Ukraine, starting in 2017, with the first emergency response supporting children in eastern Ukraine.
Since then, ECW has provided USD 27 million in funding to support quality, comprehensive education programs in Ukraine since 2017. As the conflict continued to escalate and educational needs increased, ECW received much-needed donations from additional donors, including Germany and Japan, to support education in Ukraine.
At last year’s Education Finance Summit, the Global Business Coalition for Education pledged to mobilize USD 50 million from businesses to support ECW’s four-year strategic plan. In partnership with GBCE, YaboWorld, HP and Microsoft, USD 39 million in collaboration with the ECW device donation has already been collected, and more than 70,000 laptops have been shared with schools, teachers and other people in need, within -Ukraine and neighboring countries. .
This is a major investment in expanding educational opportunities for children who do not have access to physical education. Delivered by a combination of partners including Finn Church Aid, Kyiv School of Economics, Save the Children and UNICEF—in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine—ECW’s educational programs have so far reached more than 360,000 children, about 65 percent of them. the girls.
Against this, Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine, emphasized that “the support from Education Cannot Wait is important for children, their parents and teachers who are doing everything they can to keep classes open and continue learning in person despite the impact of the war across the country.”
However, more money is urgently needed. More than 1,300 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed, and almost 600,000 children have not had access to physical education since the start of the school year in early September, due to deadly and destructive fighting, attacks and displacement.
“This brutal war must end now! As long as the children, youth and teachers of Ukraine are suffering from this terrible scourge, schools must be protected from attack. As a global community, we must rise to the challenge before us to ensure that every girl and every boy in Ukraine affected by this war brutal and refugees are able to access the safety, hope and opportunity that only quality education can provide,” said Sherif.
ECW and its strategic partners are seeking USD 600 million in additional funding from private and public donors to achieve the global goals outlined in the Fund’s 2023-2026 Strategic Action Plan. This grant will provide 20 million children in disaster-affected countries around the world with safe, inclusive, and quality education, and hope for a better future.
According to Sherif, ECW’s investment in education is an investment in recovery, peace, security, and justice in Ukraine and beyond. It is an investment in great potential for future generations. Earlier this year, ECW announced an allocation of USD 18 million to launch a Multi-Year Strengthening Program in Ukraine. The investment aims to raise another USD 17 million to reach more than 150,000 children in the 10 most affected areas.
The program aims to improve learning outcomes in safer, more accessible environments while expanding digital learning options as an alternative. There is also a strong emphasis on mental health, psychological and social support, and targeted assistance for girls and children with disabilities.
The high-level UN campaign culminated at the Fourth First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit, where ECW called on world leaders to commit to protecting education from attack and increase funding to provide life-saving access to safe education, both in person and in public. by using distance learning opportunities, if necessary, and catch-up classes for children who are lagging behind.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
