The Irish government has estimated that more than 41,000 new students arriving from Ukraine will be able to place themselves in the Irish education system if needed.
In a statement released on May 3, the European Commission said there are currently about 25,000 places available at the primary level for children fleeing the war in Ukraine, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Meanwhile, education officials say that although the survey of schools has not yet been completed, there is still room for 16,000 to 18,000 students if needed.
“Latest data (as of 25 April) shows that since the beginning of the Russian invasion on 24 February, 25,173 refugees have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine. During this time, about 2,000 new primary school students have been registered, and secondary schools have taken in 1,800 new students. “, the statement says.
It also notes that due to general uncertainty about how long they will stay in Ireland, Ukrainian parents are delaying enrolling their children in schools.
In this regard, Kieran Christie, Secretary General of the Association of Secondary School Teachers, stressed that it is also important that as many Ukrainian teachers as possible be included in the Irish education system.
In March, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education noted that the Ministry is working closely with the Board of Education to assist in the priority registration of every Ukrainian citizen who comes to Ireland and works as a teacher.
“Language support is also planned to help children and their families with the transition to Irish schools.” However, a group representing English teachers said that even before the arrival of new students from Ukraine, the system is already having difficulty meeting the needs of students whose first language is not English,” the EU Commission said in a statement.
According to the EU Commission, the Irish government in the field of higher education ensures that people fleeing the war in Ukraine can study at Irish universities. At the same time, many higher education institutions have already taken the initiative to inform Ukrainian students about the conditions of enrollment and access.
Moreover, on March 29, the Irish government announced that caring for 100,000 Ukrainian refugees would cost almost 2.5 billion euros.
In this regard, Minister of Public Expenditure Michael McGrath also added that meeting all the needs of about 10,000 refugees would cost about 400-500 million euros.