More than half of Ukrainian school students believe in a bright future for Ukraine - Study

On 10 February, the International Charitable Foundation SavED and the sociological agency Vox Populi with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe programme presented the the study "War and Education. Two years of full-scale invasion".

The full-scale invasion has led to a significant deterioration in access to education for Ukrainian children – due to hostilities, destruction of schools, and displacement. At the end of 2023, statistics from the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science showed that 3,798 educational institutions across Ukraine had been affected by Russian shelling and 365 of them had been destroyed.

The online format was not a solution either, due to the lack of equipment, unstable internet connections, and the lack of personal contact between teacher and student. This is even though remote learning is practiced in the frontline and border regions of Ukraine.

This situation results in barriers to learning, the main one being the air raids last year. Other barriers include lack of concentration, lack of time, many subjects, and fear.

This is a common experience for many children. And, more importantly, parents do not always notice it. Among parents, teachers, and school administrators, only 2-4% believe that children are anxious or very anxious, while among children this percentage is 12%. This means that up to three times more children are anxious than their parents and teachers believe.

The gaps in the provision of psychological help are slightly narrower. 26% of the students and 23% of the parents said that their children needed psychological help to a great or very great extent. 36% of children and 49% of parents do not see the need for psychological help, although they agree that it has some benefits.

However, according to the survey, teachers also need help. For example, 75% of teachers and 73% of school administrators believe that the best help would be a salary increase. Technical support is expected by 42% of teachers and 65% of school administrators, while 30% of teachers and 49% of school administrators expect support from psychologists.

"The war still continues and it's time to start changing the educational process – especially in the regions where fighting is ongoing. It is necessary to take a holistic approach to the creation of a new Ukrainian school and new educational spaces to make the provision of educational services a sustainable and continuous process in the future," commented Bastian Veigel, U-LEAD with Europe Programme Director.

One of the most important questions Ukrainian school students were asked was "where do children want to live after school". 26% of children and 23% of parents see their and their children's future outside Ukraine. The situation becomes worse if we add to these figures the 20% who "don't know" but are likely to consider this option.

The good news is that 53% of children associate their future with Ukraine: 29% plan to stay in their current place of residence and 23% want to change their place of residence but within Ukraine.

Methodology. The study involved school students (aged 14+), parents, teachers, representatives of school administrations, and local self-government bodies who are competent to answer questions about the state of education in the community. A total of 1397 students, 1288 parents, 1141 teachers, 146 representatives of school administrations, and 64 representatives of local governments from all regions of Ukraine were interviewed.

The survey was conducted with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe programme.