In Hungary, a talented refugee boy from Ukraine finds the school designed for him
In Hungary, a talented refugee boy from Ukraine finds the school designed for him
Ruslan, 9, from Melitopol in eastern Ukraine, with his teacher Eszter at a computer programming workshop organised by UNHCR’s partner Hungarian Interchurch Aid in Budapest.
In downtown Budapest, seven refugee children from Ukraine anxiously await the result of their Kahoot! quiz about their computer programming teacher's favorite fruit. When "raspberry" is revealed, reactions vary from triumph to disappointment. One boy, upset by his wrong answer, begins to sob.
“Most children from Ukraine whom we work with are true perfectionists with themselves. This is probably because of what they had to go through, and the emotional challenges of having to adapt to a new life in a new country far away from their homes. We are very much aware of this sensitivity and try to give them positive experiences,” says Eszter Greskovics from the NGO Foundation for Global Human Dignity. They run computer programming courses in a centre of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid, one of UNHCR’s partners in Hungary.
In early July 2024, Ruslan attended a computer programming workshop, following up on the afternoon courses he had during the school year, as part of summer activities organised by UNHCR’s partner Hungarian Interchurch Aid for refugee children from Ukraine.
Ruslan Mustafaiev, a lively 9-year-old little boy with striking blond hair, does not have reasons to get upset at all. He guessed raspberry and gave the right answers to most of the other questions, too.
Ruslan, his mother Lyudmila (47), and father Sergii (50) fled Melitopol in eastern Ukraine in April 2022. They sought safety in Hungary, where Sergii's metallurgical company relocated to Miskolc. Sergii continues working there as a senior manager.
Upon arrival to Budapest, Lyudmila and Sergii debated whether to enrol Ruslan into a Hungarian school. Back home, he had been following a specific Ukrainian developmental education program, which was perfect for him. Soon, however, his parents had to face the reality that the war in Ukraine could continue for some time.
“Apart from Ukrainian, Russian and English, which he already spoke at the time, we thought that he would learn one more language, and such a specific one like Hungarian. It would only make his brain develop even more,” says Lyudmila.
The family initially enrolled Ruslan in a school in District 21 of Budapest, where they live, but it lacked flexibility and made him restart first grade, which was too easy for him. Already proficient in Hungarian after a few months, Ruslan could have easily fit into a higher grade.
With help from a social worker at Hungarian Interchurch Aid, the family found another school in District 3, with teachers experienced in working with non-Hungarian children. Confidently counting beyond 20 in Hungarian when tested by the new school director, Ruslan was admitted to second grade and graduated with honours in language and literature.
“Our school is far away from where we live, Ruslan must get up at 6:00 in the morning and travel one hour every day with me to get there. We would like to rent an apartment closer to District 3, but we have failed to find a decent and affordable one for over a year now,” says Lyudmila.
Still, Ruslan loves his school, his teachers and classmates, and he is fully accepted and loved, too. “I adore him”, says his headmaster when speaking to his mother Lyudmila to praise the young boy. Ruslan gets along well with everyone:
In parallel with his Hungarian school, Ruslan also continues studying the Ukrainian curriculum through a video link with his teacher in Melitopol. As Lyudmila says, whatever happens, they want Ruslan to preserve his Ukrainian identity and learn the culture, literature, and language. However, for many young refugees, following the national curriculum and the Ukrainian online curriculum places a double burden on the learner and may not be sustainable in the long run.
As highlighted by a recent report issued by UNHCR and partners, many refugee families struggle with the decision to enrol their children in local schools or continue with the Ukrainian curriculum online. Older children face greater adaptation challenges and sometimes experience bullying. Language barriers and lack of supportive programs lead many children from Ukraine to drop out of school in host countries due to these persistent difficulties.
Ruslan on board Budapest’s Children’s Railway (Gyermekvasút) during a summer activity organised by UNHCR’s partner Hungarian Interchurch Aid.
This coincides with the experience of Ulyana Knyahinetskaya, program organiser of Hungarian Interchurch Aid overseeing the charity’s summer activities for refugee children. “We have been offering Hungarian language classes to adult refugees in our Support Centre since the very beginning to help them get included into the local community. Increasingly often, however, parents ask us to also launch Hungarian classes for their children, since it would help them to cope with difficulties when they start a Hungarian school”.
Ruslan is lucky. His school is well equipped to support refugee students. His English language teacher, Olga Ködöböcz, is responsible for the school’s program helping refugee children from Ukraine to catch up. An ethnic Hungarian from Transcarpathia, Ukraine, she understands the challenges of studying in a non-native language from personal experience. “We see that a lot of Ukrainian parents are afraid of what would happen to their children once they start attending a Hungarian school. I always tell them they should not be worried,” she says.
According to her experience, the new school and language open a new world for refugee children from Ukraine, becoming not only a learning environment but also a social and safe space where children can heal from the traumatic experience of fleeing their homes. At the same time, their presence in class is also beneficial for the local students and helps them develop, too.
Thanks to his school, Ruslan is thriving. While his mother Lyudmila talks with UNHCR staff, Ruslan gets a rare chance to use her smartphone. When asked by his mother to put it down, he protests, of course. Then starts explaining about missing elements in the periodic table. Showing an image on the screen, he reveals he was not playing a game, but studying Dmitri Mendeleev's periodic table.
Ruslan with his mother Lyudmila, 47, share a family moment in downtown Budapest, Hungary.
