Ukrainian refugees and schooling: How to overcome the “waiting dilemma”?

The observed obstacles to enrolment include, among others, the expectations of families to return to Ukraine as soon as it is safe, coupled with uncertainty about the recognition of school periods spent in the EU upon return to Ukraine. Integration can be held up by a “waiting dilemma”: while waiting for the situation to improve in their home country, some parents postpone decisions that would foster local integration, e.g. enrolling their children in local schools.

This dilemma can be overcome by supporting Ukrainian displaced families in this process. All EU countries already have in place measures to reach out to families and inform them about their school systems (see examples in a recent OECD dashboard). In addition, families need to be aware of the benefits of attending a local school.

Two important messages are that local enrolment doesn’t exclude a return whenever it is safe, and that schooling in an EU country will be recognised back in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science has issued guidance to Ukrainian schools (translated into English by the European Commission) on assessing learning outcomes of school attendance abroad, so that pupils that attended a local school in the EU can continue their education in Ukraine.

Refugee-hosting schools in the EU can facilitate a seamless re-integration into Ukrainian schools by thoroughly documenting learning times of their refugee pupils. This includes a list of subjects with the number of hours and a list of topics, the learning outcomes of the pupil and the assessment system of the foreign school (highest and lowest grades).