Children from Ukraine Have Good Opportunities in the German School System

In Ukraine, 18 percent of schoolchildren have high skill levels in reading, compared to 33 percent in Germany. In Romania and Bulgaria, the students scored significantly lower: 10 percent of schoolchildren in Romania and 11 percent in Bulgaria are high-skilled readers. Only one-fourth and one-fifth of children in Ukraine and Germany, respectively, are at the lower end of the reading performance range. By contrast, 41 percent of children in Romania have a low reading level, while in Bulgaria the figure is 47 percent. Similar differences occur in the subjects of math and science.

“Refugee Ukrainian schoolchildren should be provided with education as soon as possible to avoid further learning gaps caused by the war,” Mergele says. Which measures make sense depends on whether the children are staying in Germany for the short or the long term due to the study. If they stay for only a short time, they can be given access to online classes taught in Ukrainian and receive support from Ukrainian teachers. If they stay longer, their chances of integration improve considerably if they learn German. The recommended option is to integrate children of up to about 12 years of age into mainstream classes, accompanied by linguistic and other support measures. Older children can attend welcome classes for a limited period to learn the language basics that will enable them to follow difficult content in mainstream classes afterward.