For Ukrainian refugee children in Czechia, classes begin on Monday

As thousands of refugees head for the Czech border from war-torn Ukraine, the Czech Republic has opened its homes and workforce to those displaced by the Russian invasion.

Now the Czech Education Ministry has presented its strategy for integrating refugees' children into its classroom while offering employment to Ukrainian teachers, Education Minister Petr Gazdík said at a press conference Thursday.

The "Ukrainian Single Class" (Ukrajinské jednotřídky) project will begin on Monday with classroom instruction taking place in the Ukrainian language and delivered by native-speaking teachers. The initiative is organized by the Ukrainian Embassy, ​​the Children of Ukraine Endowment Fund, and Charles University.

Tomáš Zima, Rector Emeritus of Charles University, stressed the importance of connecting children of refugees with people who speak their language and understand them, immediately after the trauma of fleeing their country.

"We have secured the transport of teaching texts from western Ukraine," he said adding that teaching materials in Ukrainian are currently being created in the Czech Republic.

The first three single classes will open on Monday, one in Prague and two in Brno. The Prague single-class school will be housed in the First Slavic Grammar School in Prague 1. Twenty students are expected to attend the school.

Refugees will be able to register their children on the newly launched website of the Children of Ukraine Refugee Endowment Fund. Teachers from Ukraine can also apply for work via the platform.

Experts say children affected by war can incur psychological problems over time, particularly in the aftermath of bombings. Refugee children should also receive psychological help in schools. 

Gazdík said securing educational opportunities and childcare will also enable Ukrainian parents to work as soon as possible.

While no official data has been released, Gazdik estimated that hundreds of Ukrainian children are in Czechia. The ministry plans to place some of them directly in Czech schools.

Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said on Wednesday that about 5,000 refugees come to the Czech Republic every day, with a total of between 20,000 and 30,000 on Wednesday. 

On Friday last week, the Ministry of Education provided teachers with instructions on how to discuss the current situation with the pupils so that the children could better understand the international conflict and not blame their classmates of Russian or Ukrainian nationality.

The Ukrainian single-Class school network should develop over time, particularly in large cities with the biggest refugee population.

"Life continues and children should have the opportunity to learn further," Ukrainian Ambassador to the Czech Republic Yevhen Perebyjnis said. The Ministry so far has said that school will not be compulsory for the first three months of a child's arrival.