On 27 December 2024, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of the Netherlands hosted a presentation of educational projects of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations, Lviv Polytechnic National University, for teachers of Ukrainian Studies Saturday and Sunday Schools in The Hague.
Anatolii Solovei, Charge d’Affaires of Ukraine in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, welcomed the participants of the meeting which was moderated by Mariia-Katalina Rohovei, Second Secretary of the Embassy.
Iryna Kliuchkovska, Director of the IECDR, presented the Institute’s educational projects and described its activities. The representative of the University called for active cooperation with the UWC World Coordinating Educational Council – the Ukrainian World Congress structure that coordinates the global educational agenda, and its head, Lyuba Lubchyk, and explained the position of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday schools and reported on the work that has been started to legally regulate their activities.
«We are standing at the threshold of changes that require consolidation of efforts by government agencies, the public sector and educational environments. Only together can we adequately respond to the challenges that life has thrown at us in the context of war and massive forced emigration», said Iryna Kliuchkovska.
The educators, who came from different parts of the Netherlands, spoke about the current state of schools and the problems they face in organising the educational process. The constructive dialogue helped to highlight new challenges, including the problem of integrating children with poor Ukrainian language skills and Russian-speaking students into Ukrainian classes.
The participants discussed the use of game elements in the classroom, agreed to organise seminars on teaching Ukrainian language using educational resources developed by the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations, as well as seminars with the participation of leading school psychologists and teachers of Ukraine.
The IECDR staff hope that this meeting will be the beginning of a long-term educational project that will help preserve the Ukrainian identity of those who have decided to build their future in the Netherlands.
