Only half of Ukrainian children attend schools in host countries — UN Refugee Agency

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), one million people have fled Ukraine after only a week, and a month after the full-scale invasion, more than 10 million people have been internally and internationally displaced.

Socialportal asked UNHCR, which is the main refugee aid organisation, to talk about the situation of Ukrainians in the EU and the prospects for their status after 2025.

Temporary protection for Ukrainians is valid until March 2025. What is UNHCR's position on its extension? What are the consequences if the protection is withdrawn?

From UNHCR's perspective, solidarity, co-operation and responsibility-sharing are perhaps the most valuable lessons to be learnt from States' approach to the crisis in Ukraine and the implementation of the temporary protection regime. It is crucial that this approach is followed beyond March 2025 and that those who continue to need protection have access to it. Without a harmonised approach, there is a risk of significant secondary movements, an increase in asylum claims that may overwhelm the capacity of national systems, and premature return decisions. Such outcomes risk undermining the benefits currently enjoyed by both States and beneficiaries of temporary protection. UNHCR therefore supports proposals to extend temporary protection beyond March 2025.

According to your data, only half of school-age refugee children attend schools in the host countries. What can this be related to, as the norms of compulsory school attendance in the EU are strict, at least in Germany, where Ukrainians are the most numerous. Could it be related to online learning in Ukrainian schools?

Since the war escalated in February 2022, more than a quarter of Ukraine's population has been displaced from their homes in Ukraine. The vast majority were displaced in 2022 and within the first few months, and now nearly 6.5 million remain abroad as refugees. According to our recent research, the majority of Ukrainian refugees (65 per cent) do express a desire to return home one day. However, the proportion has decreased due to increased uncertainty due to the ongoing war.

UNHCR is coordinating activities under the Regional Refugee Response Plan, which requires $1.1 billion for the planned assistance to 2.3 million refugees and host communities in 2024. Priority areas of assistance are to provide opportunities to obtain food, employment, health care or non-food items.

Language barriers, lack of information, financial difficulties, difficulties in finding work that matches education, skills and experience, lack of childcare opportunities and lack of local resources are the challenges that most often prevent survivors from obtaining decent work, health and social services or from securing sustainable housing.

In addition, about 44 per cent of families with school-age children report that at least one child is still not registered in the host country's education system.

This indicates that many refugee children and young refugees continue to risk being left out of the education process when the 2024-2025 school year begins in September 2024. The main factors contributing to low enrolment rates of refugee children include:

• administrative, legal and language barriers;
• lack of information on available education options;
• hesitancy of parents to register their children in host countries as they hope to return home to Ukraine soon;
• and uncertainty about possible reintegration into the Ukrainian education system.

Another important issue is the lack of opportunity to educate refugee children in schools in host countries. At a time when there are unprecedented numbers of children who have become refugees in the months since the escalation of the war, many schools in countries of asylum do not have the physical space or sufficient teachers to provide for new students.

They also note the lack of involvement of Ukrainians in the labour market (40-60%) and declining skills. However, Ukrainian media often talk about the easy integration of Ukrainians into the EU, and recent opinion polls (KMIS) show that 66 per cent of Ukrainians in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic are satisfied with their situation. What is a cause for concern in this case? Is there a possibility of the situation worsening compared to the integration rate of other refugees?

Despite significant progress in the employment of refugees from Ukraine, challenges still remain. Many refugee families from Ukraine face high levels of economic vulnerability and half of them are below the poverty line based on income. The level of access to permanent employment is a key factor affecting the financial well-being of families. Despite the predominantly vulnerable profile of the population (35 per cent of families consist of one adult woman with dependents) , the employment rate among refugees is comparable to that of host country nationals. However, the unemployment rate remains alarmingly high at 14 per cent.

This underscores that efforts to attract to the labour market must continue and measures to address the most frequently reported obstacles must be pursued. These include local language skills, lack of decent employment opportunities and skills mismatch. For more information, see our latest inter-agency report: Helping Hands - The Role of Housing Support and Employment Facilitation in Economic Vulnerability of Refugees from Ukraine