In Estonia, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, supports the local NGO Mondo to run Mondo Ukrainian Academy – an initiative that supports Ukrainian teachers and pupils to thrive in the Estonian education system. Scroll down to watch the video.
More than 200 Ukrainian educators have been involved in the Mondo Ukrainian Academy. © Henno Luts
Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Estonia has welcomed more than 42,000 refugees from Ukraine, around a third of whom are children.
Vanalinna Hariduskolleegium in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, was among the first schools to welcome refugee children from Ukraine.
“In the beginning, it was mentally difficult because they came from a war zone,” explained Margit, a teacher at Vanalinna Hariduskolleegium.
Early on, it became apparent that among the arrivals from Ukraine were not only children in need of education, but also Ukrainian teachers with years of experience. To support refugee students and teachers from Ukraine, local NGO Mondo established Mondo Ukrainian Academy in partnership with UNHCR.
“What we saw in Estonia was that there were quite a lot of professionals and very, very good teachers coming to Estonia from Ukraine,” said Maria, Head of Global Education at Mondo. “We provided them with the knowledge of how the Estonian education system actually works.”
Through Mondo Ukrainian Academy, teachers, psychologists and teaching assistants from Ukraine take part in trainings focusing on the Estonian education system as well as linguistic and cultural diversity. Since the launch of the initiative in July 2022, more than 200 Ukrainian educators have been involved in the initiative.
Among the Ukrainian teachers arriving in Estonia in the spring of 2022 was Hanna, who had worked as Deputy Director at a secondary school in Ukraine before being forced to flee.
“One of the most significant achievements of participating in Mondo Ukrainian Academy was the sense of belonging to a community,” explained Hanna. “This sense of community and the opportunity to feel at home were crucial, not only for me but also for many participants of Mondo Ukrainian Academy.”
Among the Ukrainian teachers arriving in Estonia in the spring of 2022 was Hanna. © Henno Luts
Soon after arriving in Estonia, Hanna started working at Vanalinna Hariduskolleegium together with Margit and other local Estonian teachers. With the student population growing as the school was accepting refugee pupils from Ukraine, Hanna could help respond to the increased demand for teachers.
For children forced to flee and leave their homes, school and friends behind, education offers a stable and safe environment from which refugee children can start rebuilding their lives. For refugee pupils from Ukraine, having a teacher from Ukraine at school who can relate to their situation, speak their language and provide a connection to their shared homeland is also a source of comfort.
One and a half years after the first refugee pupils from Ukraine joined Vanalinna Hariduskolleegium, Margit explained that, “When these children were introduced to me, I was also introduced to Hanna and we realized that this cooperation is very important for both of us.”
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