Ukrainian war refugee: education in Estonia

In addition to the democratic values of the Government of Estonia, Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states the obligation to provide complete aid to children affected by war.According to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia, everyone has the right to education.

Schooling is compulsory for school-age children to the extent specified by law. A child with a foreign citizenship who is of-age for compulsory education has the obligation to attend compulsory schooling in Estonia.

It is important to acknowledge that among the families arriving from the areas of the armed conflict in Ukraine, there are those who come to Estonia only for the duration of the war and wish to return home as soon as possible, as well as those families who plan to stay in Estonia for a longer period.

We will provide children and young people from Ukraine with opportunities to continue their education based on a short-term and long-term plan. In the case of the short-term plan, there is no clear expectation that the student will continue their studies in Estonia on a permanent basis, but the preconditions are set. The aim of the long-term plan is to integrate children into the local education system.

The Estonian Constitution gives parents the right to decide on matters concerning their child’s compulsory schooling. This decision includes the time of stay in Estonia, the language of instruction and the language or cultural space with which one is associated. Educational institutions and school administrators can give parents advice and introduce possibilities to help them make informed decisions.

When providing learning opportunities, we must also take into account the fact that not all people arriving from Ukraine are necessarily Ukrainian speakers, but have other mother tongues, including Russian.

We prefer to offer children and youth arriving to Estonia from Ukraine opportunities to continue their education in schools with Estonian as the language of instruction. If the parent wishes, they can also choose schools with Russian as the language of instruction.

Children and young people who have arrived in Estonia can participate in education as follows:

• Pre-school education, in kindergartens and childcare for pre-school children (1,5-7-year-olds).
• Basic education, in general compulsory education schools for children and young people (7-17 year-olds).
• Upper-secondary, vocational and higher education, in upper secondary schools, vocational schools, universities of applied sciences and universities.
• Hobby education and activities, in educational institutions, including hobby schools, in general starting from the age of 7.
• Youth work, in youth centres for 7 to 26-year-olds.

It is very difficult for children and their families to come to Estonia from the crisis area. The classroom and school must be prepared to welcome children from the armed conflict area with a friendly and helpful atmosphere.

Explain to the other children that there is war in Ukraine, many fathers and brothers and friends have been mobilised, many have died and a lot has been destroyed. Families have left their homes and travelled a long way. They may only have a suitcase-worth of personal belongings with them. We do not ask the child about the situation in Ukraine. If the child wishes to talk, we are ready to listen and share their burdens.

We will provide the child with essential school supplies.

We will not punish children for breaking rules that have not been explained to the child and their family. We will not strongly enforce rules that are not a priority, such as notebooks being unlined, inside shoes not meeting the school's standards, binders of the wrong size.

Please note that the family may not immediately have access to the Internet, printing or other amenities at home. We will give homework only in writing on paper.