Illustrative stock photo (source: Unsplash)
The Education Ministry has prepared several measures to help children who have fled Ukraine and will attend school in Slovakia.
It has organised webinars and lectures for teachers who will teach Ukrainian students soon. The ministry has also prepared documents that support these pupils and their admission to schools – the materials are in both the Slovak and Ukrainian languages.
“Since the war outbroke in Ukraine, we have been trying to be as cooperative as possible and prepare schools to handle this situation,” said Minister Branislav Gröhling.
The Denník N daily reported that the first Ukrainian children have already been enrolled in schools – 30 children were accepted into a school in Prešov, the only one where they educate in the Ukrainian language, and three were accepted in kindergartens in Bratislava's Ružinov.
He added that they are in contact with the director of schools in the border areas and the municipalities directly impacted by the arrival of Ukrainian families. But the ministry acknowledges that the situation could impact everyone, from the acceptance of pupils from Ukraine to how the pupils and their families are coping with the situation.
Support for students
A special tab related to Ukraine has been added to the Ministry of Education's website. It contains supporting materials, methodological materials and guidelines. Currently, the schools will find material on how to manage student support in the context of current events in Ukraine and guidance for principals on how to accept students from Ukraine and help them adapt. The Ministry of Education is also preparing material for Ukrainian parents in the Ukrainian language so that they know how to proceed when enrolling children in school.
“We are ready to help every pupil who arrives from Ukraine and enters our schools,” the minister said. “For them and also their parents, this is a hard situation and we want to help as much as possible so pupils can handle this change,” the minister added.
The National Institute for Education has implemented an online webinar for teachers focused on communication about current events and is preparing a webinar on how to integrate students from Ukraine into Slovak schools. The Research Institute of Child Psychology and Pathopsychology has created a podcast for parents on "How to talk about the war in Ukraine in front of children" and is preparing a large-scale seminar for school psychologists to manage communication about the war in Ukraine and its consequences.
The Ministry of Education has also set up a special e-mail address for questions from schools concerning the placement of pupils from Ukraine or to support pupils from this area: ukrajina@minedu.sk.
State Secretary of the Ministry Ľudovít Paulis mentioned that the department is discussing where to place small children fleeing the war in Ukraine in kindergartens or schools. The ministry has also set up a website in Ukrainian and has mobile advisory teams. Paulis said he appreciates the activity of universities.
