Education

The Ministry of Education has adopted in December 2016 the Order of the Minister of Education No. 6134 of 21st of December 2016 on Prohibiting School Segregation in Pre-university Education School Units. Thus, the legal framework on school desegregation was revised and expanded to include 5 criteria of school segregation: 1) ethnicity, 2)…

Knowing about the preferences, needs, and wishes of young people is an important precondition to successful career guidance policies and services. The European Training Foundation (ETF) and the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO), in collaboration with young people, conducted polls and held focus groups to understand the needs…, Instead, young respondents painted a picture of a shockingly high level of limited to no access to guidance. Current services are focused on a traditional approach, consisting of interest, personality trait, and aptitude testing, providing information that aims to match learning and job opportunities. However, these services occur at specific…, ‘What I do not know, I cannot like’: Young people are seeking practical experience, Young people participating in polls and focus groups overwhelmingly showed a preference for practical experience, out-of-the classroom opportunities, and skills generated outside the traditional school curriculum. Such experiential learning increases the relevance of academic learning for their lives and their future, enabling them to better…, Traditional methods of career guidance are outpaced by preference for online tools, When asked where they get their information and support when choosing a future profession, more than half of the respondents chose “Internet searches, websites” (56.7 per cent), followed by “Social media, chat rooms/message boards, online tutorials” (38.7 per cent), and “Parents” (32.5 per cent) and “Friends” (32.0 per cent), with limited…, Young people want a profession that matches their skills and interests, Overwhelmingly, young people wish for a profession that matches their skills and interests; however, they are very concerned about skills mismatch and working conditions that do not allow for such alignment. Respondents stressed the importance of life and career management skills to support their emotional development and personal growth; they…, Career aspirations of young people remain limited to traditional careers, In line with other research, respondents showed a limited scope of career aspirations, with traditional careers such as teachers, doctors, or nurses being predominant. This finding is deeply concerning, as it highlights how the current state of career guidance does little to broaden the scope of career aspirations and how it has failed to showcase…, Educational aspirations of young people mirror parental and societal expectations, Over eight-in-ten respondents said that they intend to complete some level of tertiary education (81.9 per cent), showing extremely high expectations that may not necessarily align with either labor market or skill needs. Moreover, a preference for tertiary education tends to ignore the opportunities provided by vocational education and training (…, Many young Ukrainians lack access to career guidance services, Career guidance systems require a special focus on young Ukrainians. There are many young Ukrainians, both in Ukraine (including displaced persons) and abroad, that lack access to guidance services. More active outreach is needed, both face-to-face and online, as well as more holistic online services for self-help and self-learning. Personal…, Learning for Careers What kinds of career guidance and career education services do young people want in Europe and Central Asia? 2024 United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and European Training Foundation (ETF) Front Cover: @UNICEF/Romania/Adrian Ctu Design and Layout: Rec Design Editing: Formato Verde The contents of this report do not…

Since the escalation of war in February 2022 Ukraine’s children and their families have endured forced displacement, unthinkable loss and relentless violence. Over the past two years, according to UNICEF estimates of the latest available data, children in Ukraine’s frontline areas have been forced to spend between 3,000 and 5,000 hours sheltering…

Try to imagine what it feels like to spend 5,000 hours – the equivalent of 7 months – sheltering in underground basements and metro stations. Now imagine you are a child. What does it feel like to be confined for this  length of time as air raid sirens ring above. Not knowing what might happen to your home, school and family members and friends…, Education disrupted, Across Ukraine, schools have either been damaged or destroyed by shelling or lack adequate facilities. Around 40 per cent of children across the country do not have access to continuous education. In areas nearer to the frontline, half of school-age children are unable to access continuous education. In 2023, UNICEF provided more than 1.3 million…, Schools in ruins, Nearly two years ago, Stepan and Yaroslav’s school was destroyed by shelling. Since then, schoolchildren have been trying to learn online. Yaroslav (16) stands against the background of a destroyed school, he used to study in. UNICEF/UNI510549/Pashkina "I'm afraid that younger children won't have the opportunity to receive an education and, thus,…, Shattered memories, Eight-year-old Anya stands amidst the rubble of her badly damaged school in Buzova, Ukraine. Anya and her family hid in their basement when the heavy bombardment began. Her school was hit 14 times by shells and rockets between February and March 2022. Before the war, Buzova’s school was one of the best in the Kyiv region. Around 500 children came…, All too loud, The impact of war on children’s psychological well-being are widespread. Ukraine’s children report feeling anxious, sad and disinterested in learning. They also report having excessive fears and phobias, sensitivity to loud noises and trouble sleeping.  “When we hear an air alarm, we go to the basement,” 5-year-old Maksym explains. “We go down and…, New country, new school, Ten-year-old Darya fled to Moldova with her 16-year-old brother and grandparents in the spring of 2022. For a year and a half, she and her brother have been separated from their parents, who had to remain in Odesa, Ukraine. Their grandparents are striving to ensure the siblings continue their education in Moldova. In school, Darya listens…, Building a path for children to heal, Children and families impacted by two years of war in Ukraine have shown extraordinary resilience, but without support the psychological wounds of war could scar them for life.  UNICEF has reached more than 2.5 million children and caregivers with mental health and psychosocial support to help them overcome some of the distress and challenges they…, Remembering something good, Eleven-year-old Nika misses her friends and hobbies. Her photo diary has become one of her main sources of joy. Through it she tries to capture pleasant and important childhood moments, which the ongoing war has destroyed for so many children.  Nika (11) is taking picture next to a destroyed building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Her favourite shop used to…, Finding hope, Sisters Nelya and Lilya are in the ninth grade and, like all of Ukraine’s children have faced huge upheaval to their lives. They have become accustomed to hiding during the air raid alerts and are desperately trying to keep warm in their cold apartment. The ongoing hostilities and blackouts during fall and winter have affected their mental health…, A child-centered recovery, Ukraine’s long-term recovery depends on the recovery of children and families. Across Ukraine, UNICEF works to ensure children have access to health care, immunisation, nutrition support, protection, education, safe water and sanitation, social protection, and mental health and psychosocial support.  In 2023, UNICEF reached 8.76 million people…

Following the escalation of the war in Ukraine, Krisztobál and his family fled to Hungary, settling at the Dorcas Ministries Refugee Accommodation Centre in Debrecen. After an educational assessment, the 8-year-old boy was enrolled in catch-up classes provided through the "School to Success” programme, with an aim to address literacy and numeracy…, Adjusting to busy city life, Originally from a small Ukrainian village, arriving to Hungary's second most populous city was challenging for Krisztobál and his family. There are currently 250 refugee families, predominantly of Roma origin, now residing at the Dorcas Ministries Refugee Centre. Refugee families receive integrated services at the reception centre from support…, "I’m studying so I can go to university.", Krisztobál loves going to school despite the early morning wake ups. It wasn't always this way. His attitude and motivation transformed significantly as he started attending daily classes aimed at addressing gaps in his education. When he thinks about the journey ahead to enrolling in university, he becomes excited. "I didn't know the…, Why is the programme special?, "School to Success" is a comprehensive, tailor-made education programme helping refugee children overcome serious arithmetic, literacy, and numeracy gaps, to help them catch-up with their peers. Krisztobál being proactive in class. Most of the children residing at the Refugee Centre were brought up in difficult circumstances. Many had no or…, Initially, getting children ready for their first class in the morning was a challenge, “These children have worked incredibly hard and have come a long way, it really is a huge success, and they should be so proud! Many of them had to start learning from the very basics, such as getting to know the clock and incorporating the daily routine of getting up at 6 am every morning and showing up for school,” reflects the headmaster of “…

This module on Changing perceptions – empowering teachers is a training module on interpersonal communication for inclusive education developed by UNICEF regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and complements the previous UNICEF Training of Trainers package on inclusive education (2015). It addresses teaching staff self-efficacy, attitudes,…

Picture fitting your entire life into a single suitcase, your three-year-old child holding your hand as the only anchor in a sea of uncertainty. Now, imagine being in a new country, leaving behind everything and everyone you knew, all while trying to create a sense of normalcy, routine, and safety for your child. Think about the struggle of…

This policy analysis examines regional and national policy and normative documents, and existing literature related to digital learning in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo 1 , Montenegro, and North Macedonia. The report captures the state of the education recovery after the COVID-19 school closures and explores trends, promising practices,…

The language of instruction plays a key role in refugee children’s integration into host country schools, as children spend most of their time at school and this is also where their meet their peers and socialisation take place. Knowledge of the language of instruction enables them to continue their education and learning, fully participate in the…

Warsaw, 20 November 2023 – On World Children’s Day, three international organisations working in the field of child protection in Poland - United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Plan International and Save the Children - release a research report on the subjective wellbeing of children and adolescents living in Poland in the face of the war in…

The Regional Digital Learning and Transformation of Education Strategy (RDLS) sets the vision, goals, focus areas and programmatic interventions for scaling up and sustaining UNICEF’s work on digital learning in Europe and Central Asia. It prioritizes the use of edtech for effective teaching and learning, transforming education delivery and…

In Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH), approximately 14,000 students in more than  500 schools lack access to the internet . This prevents access to crucial information and online learning, directly contravening Articles 28 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The 2023 Western Balkans Digital Summit, held in October in BiH, was a…, A digital future through policy, We are taught in schools that “an object will not change its motion unless a force acts on it”. It is education systems – with teachers at the centre – who moved, adjusted and accelerated to the new digitalisation opportunity during the pandemic. This was done while taking care of children’s learning and wellbeing, simultaneously communicating…, Beyond the digital: investing in teachers, The wellbeing and continuous professional development of teachers is equally crucial to equip them with the necessary skills to effectively recognise and respond to students’ emotional and behavioural needs, which UNICEF and UNESCO have assessed as the main stressors of teaching. A method of  intervision  – a horizontal, structured mechanism of…