Andreas Schleicher, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills, presents at the webinar How to strengthen support for Ukrainian refugees in schools and universities on the 14 June 2023. To watch the recording please visit https://oecdedutoday.com/oecd-education-webinars/

1. How to strengthen support for Ukrainian
refugees in schools and universities
Andreas Schleicher
14 June 2023
OECD Directorate for Education and Skills

2.  How are OECD education systems responding to support Ukrainian refugees?
 The OECD Ukraine ad-hoc survey looked at:
 Barriers that prevent Ukrainian refugees from integration into schools.
 Measures to ensure the continuation of studies and training of Ukrainian refugee children
and students.
 28 countries/participants submitted the ad-hoc survey : Austria, French Community of Belgium,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel,
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovak
Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United States.
Overview of the 2023 Ukraine ad-hoc survey

3. Helping refugees stay connected with the
Ukrainian education system
1

4. Measures to keep refugees connected with the Ukrainian education system
• Organised by the UN Children’s Fund and the Ukrainian Ministry of Education (early 2022)
• Main pathway ensuring the continuation of studies during the early stages of the war
The All-Ukrainian online learning platform
Remote learning within formal schools/settings
• Progressive integration into host countries’ education systems (Romania)
• Remote learning facilities to follow the Ukrainian curriculum:
• Provision of computers (Austria, Lithuania)
• Recruitment of Ukrainian-speaking teachers and assistants (Sweden)

5. Measures to keep refugees connected with the Ukrainian education
system
Share of countries implementing measures to support refugee children in following the Ukrainian curriculum
(at primary level)
Note: The figure only includes instances where countries answer "Yes", which means that answers "No", "Not applicable" and "Missing" are excluded. 13 out of 28 countries have not answered this question.
Readers are kindly invited to consult the database on "Ensuring a continued learning for Ukrainian refugees" for further information.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Recruitment of Ukrainian-
speaker teachers/assistants
Provision of online resources in
Ukrainian language
Provision of computers to follow
the Ukrainian curriculum
Timetable adjustment

6. Measures to keep refugees connected with the Ukrainian education
system
Share of countries providing access to online platforms, within and outside learning facilities
Note: The figure only includes instances where countries answer "Yes", which means that answers "No", "Not applicable" and "Missing" are excluded. 10 out of 28 countries have not answered this question.
Readers are kindly invited to consult the database on "Ensuring a continued learning for Ukrainian refugees" for further information.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Within formal schools - Individual
access to online virtual platform
provided by Ukrainian authorities
Outside formal schools - Individual
access to online virtual platform
provided by Ukrainian authorities
Within formal schools - Collective
online live course with a Ukrainian
teacher

7. Barriers for integration into host countries’
education systems
2

8. Main barriers to enrol across all levels of education
Share of countries reporting a barrier to be a major factor
Note: The figure only includes instances where countries answer "Yes", which means that answers "No", "Not applicable" and "Missing" are excluded. 1 out of 28 countries have not answered these questions.
Readers are kindly invited to consult the database on "Ensuring a continued learning for Ukrainian refugees" for further information..
20%
21%
29%
32%
48%
63%
Lack of information
Relatively low integration of Ukrainian families
Financial barriers
Teacher shortages
Concerns about the future recognition of
skills/competencies/diplomas by Ukraine
Language barriers

9. Measures to support integration into host
countries’ education systems
2

10. Measures taken to facilitate enrolment in primary education
Share of countries that implement measures / policies
to support the enrolment of Ukrainian students in schools (at primary level)
Note: The figure only includes instances where countries answer "Yes", which means that answers "No", "Not applicable" and "Missing" are excluded. 3 out of 28 countries have not answered these questions
Readers are kindly invited to consult the database on "Ensuring a continued learning for Ukrainian refugees" for further information..
17%
36%
68%
68%
69%
71%
72%
73%
88%
90%
91%
100%
Ukrainian-only schools
Creation of temporary classes
Creation of Ukrainian/bilingual teaching materials
Establishment of temporary reception classes to facilitate integration
Awareness and information campaigns
Recruitment of teaching assistants
Recruitment of teachers
Sessions for families to foster the integration of Ukrainian refugees
Co-operation/communication with the Ukrainian authorities
Recruitment of Ukrainian-speaking personnel (teachers, assistants, other)
Language catch-up courses
Provision of information (booklet, websites etc..)

11. Supporting integration into VET programmes
Share of countries that implement measures / policies
to help upper secondary Ukrainian students get their VET qualifications at national/institutional level
Note: The figure only includes instances where countries answer "Yes", which means that answers "No", "Not applicable" and "Missing" are excluded. 6 out of 28 countries have not answered these questions
Readers are kindly invited to consult the database on "Ensuring a continued learning for Ukrainian refugees" for further information..
11%
17%
33%
53%
55%
62%
62%
73%
75%
88%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Co-operation with Ukrainian vocational institutions (double degrees/shared…
Creation of temporary classes
Mentoring system
Bridging programmes to smooth refugee students' integration
Academic guidance
Facilitation of administrative procedures
Information medium (campaigns, advertisement, websites)
Recognition of prior learning (RPL)
Administrative support
Language courses
National Institutional

12. Measures addressing language barriers
Catch-up Courses
• 68% of countries developed bilingual teacher material
• Temporary classes for language support in 36% of countries
• Bridge-year language programmes in Switzerland
Ukrainian Schools
Ukrainian-speaking staff
recruitment
• Spain recruited 200 language assistants in pre-primary and primary schools
• Online language courses for teachers in Lithuania
• Help from Ukrainian speakers in VET centres in Hungary
• Ukrainian-only schools created in Denmark and Estonia
• Pre-war private Ukrainian schools in Lithuania
• Riga Ukrainian Secondary School in Latvia with 20 years in operation

13. Financial aid and economic support
Fee waivers
Granted in approx. 75-80% of surveyed countries
German state educational support (BAföG)
Funding for students
and researchers
Special funding of teaching, learning and support services
Research grants in approx. 65-80% of countries
Housing allowances Priority to housing allowances in most countries
Implemented in around 80% of countries

14. Measures addressing capacity issues
Recruitment of teaching staff
• ‘High priority’ measure in most countries across all education levels
• 72% of countries recruited teachers
Creation of temporary classes
• From primary to upper secondary general education (Spain)
• In vocational education and training (Estonia)
• In tertiary education, at both institutional and national levels (France)
Opening of new formal schools/settings
• Opening of new ECEC settings in 7 countries
• Implementation of ‘educational hubs’ in Romania

15. Integrating students
Trauma and
psychological support
Training staff for children coming from war zones in France
Support and funding for childcare in Estonia
Working with diverse
children and families
Additional 187 special needs teachers in Ireland
More than 10 countries trained their staff in the topic
Disability Recruitment of specialised assistants
Romania granted same access to schools as nationals
Information and social
network
Online information platforms on admission
Helpline available regarding admission in Poland

16. Recognising previous learning and skills
Facilitating procedures
Providing skills for the future
• Comparability of Ukraine qualifications in England (UK)
• Practical professional training in Germany
• Architectural courses envision re-building Ukraine (Tampere University, Finland)
• More than 70% of countries formally recognised previous learning
• Online platforms with certification information in Spain
• Support for missing documentation in Austria

17. More information coming soon…

18. Thank you