Digital Education Centres are established in the libraries participating in the project „Library for All. Different. Equal. Important.”. Students from Ukraine, who are staying in Poland, receive support in learning both the Ukrainian and Polish curricula. Libraries are equipped with the necessary equipment and educational materials, and Ukrainian-speaking teachers are employed to help the children. Several libraries also offer additional Polish language classes. The aim of Digital Education Centres is to support the education and integration of children with a refugee experience, and to counteract exclusion. Classes started in September 2022.

Digital Education Centres established in Polish libraries will support the efforts of both the general education system and non-governmental organisations in providing children with access to education and teacher support, and enable students to develop social skills and integrate in a new environment. Polish language classes increase children’s chances to effectively learn in Polish schools, if they choose to do so, and to make friends with their new colleagues, while they are staying in Poland.

Participation in Digital Education Centres is free of charge. However, the number of participants is limited, therefore attendants are asked to register in advance. The Centres are established in libraries participating in the project „Library for All. Different. Equal. Important.”. The list of participating libraries is available here: https://bibliotekidlaukrainy.org.pl/en/libraries-in-the-project.

According to UNHCR, only about 40% of Ukrainian children residing in Poland at the end of June 2022 were registered in the Polish educational system. The remaining children and adolescents probably studied remotely in a Ukrainian online school under conditions similar to the unfavorable experiences of the pandemic remote education. Some of the children may have been deprived of appropriate conditions or equipment for distance learning, and thus – access to education itself.

Lack of contact with peers and in-house teacher support may have a negative impact on both the psychological well-being of children and adolescents and the quality of their education. The biggest challenges related to ensuring access to education for Ukrainian children in exile include the language barrier, a significant challenge on the Polish education system, the need for the recognition of diplomas of Ukrainian teachers, as well as a large number of children who are not registered in Polish schools, who are difficult to be helped for this reason.