Packing an emergency backpack with our documents and a bottle of water on February 24, 2022, each of us realized that everything had changed.
For the many who stayed in Ukraine, 2022 also significantly shifted the landscape of education. It forced us - educators - to rethink our approach to learning and teaching: we no longer have time to carefully review certain topics in the classroom, we have to make the most of the precious moments between air raids to cover as much practical material as possible. Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science has developed a wartime educational trajectory for all levels that introduced new subjects and new educational programmes such as Crisis Psychology in War and updated old ones: it became clear that, for example, in health and life safety classes, it is essential to learn what to do during a ballistic attack or artillery shelling, or that students in translation studies need to acquire medical and military vocabulary. And more often than we would like to, we have to let the students work through not urgently important topics independently.
Despite all this, despite our educational losses, we are doing our best to keep up: participating in and conducting conferences, webinars, seminars, and training when security conditions allow, and submitting projects to Horizon Erasmus+, Visegrad, and many others. Now, more than ever, it is essential for us to learn from the experiences of our foreign colleagues and adopt their good practices for our educational processes. Given that the direct war damage caused to Ukrainian infrastructure has increased to almost USD 170 billion (as of November 2024), providing quality education is one of the key priorities of the state, because it is on the shoulders of these generations of young people that the burden of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine will fall.
Given all this, exchange programmes for students and teachers are extremely important: they provide opportunities for the Ukrainian youth to catch up on their educational losses, catch up with their peers from Europe, and gain the knowledge and skills they need for these turbulent times in calm, friendly spaces rather than having to shelter in dusty, stuffy basements.
In addition to advancing in their degrees, our students significantly improve their spoken English, intercultural communication skills, and analytical and planning skills during these six to twelve months of Erasmus+ exchanges. It also means that, at least for a few months, they have the opportunity to study and live normally — to sleep well at night without running to bomb shelters, to prepare for classes without being dependent on power outage schedules. Not surprisingly, six months or a year spent in a country not torn by war contributes to their mental well-being, they are calmer and less anxious.
The students return from such exchange programmes more balanced, motivated, inspired, ready to fight, and more focused and more determined to learn and to grow up better. They experienced what the Russian invasion deprived them of: normal education and the normal life they should have had. This helps young people to realize that our future is in our hands and that we must do everything possible to build a peaceful, independent, pro-European country. We aspire to become a member of the EU, so gaining European experience and immersing themselves in the atmosphere of European values is extremely important for young Ukrainians.
Although we do not have any incoming students here in Ukraine at the moment, the exchange programmes still work both ways: Ukrainian students share their experiences of learning and surviving in times of crisis with the students and lecturers at their host institution, they talk about the war, Ukrainian life and customs. Mobility coordinators from our partner universities often write to us saying how positively our students have impacted their community and educational environment.
«Hosting Ukrainian students through Erasmus+ has been an enriching and rewarding experience for both our students and for Zealand. These students bring resilience, fresh perspectives, and an admirable dedication to their education despite the immense challenges they face. For the students, the opportunity to study abroad provides access to advanced academic resources, innovative teaching methods, and a vibrant international network that broadens their educational and cultural horizons. Beyond academics, many express that the experience strengthens their confidence and inspires hope for future contributions to their communities in Ukraine.
For our university, the presence of Ukrainian students fosters valuable cultural exchange and global awareness, enriching classroom discussions and strengthening our academic environment. Their determination and unique perspectives remind us of the meaningful role education plays, even during challenging times. They exemplify the resilience and determination of their generation», says Marie-Josée G. Jensen, International Institutional Coordinator (International Ambassador), from Zealand Academy of Technology and Business (Campus Roskilde), Denmark.
“Our cooperation with the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” dates back to the academic year of 2023/24. We have been hosting students from this institution as incoming students with Erasmus+ ever since. We are deeply convinced that through funded exchange semesters with Erasmus+ we can contribute to their academic career as well as to the development of world peace in times of war and political instability. We have also invited academic staff to our international week with Erasmus+ and have included them as partners in our applications of Erasmus+ Key Action 171. Besides the objective of enhancing their academic progress, we are very eager to support them leading their lives in a stable and secure environment. We are also very proud and happy that some of the students have not only enjoyed their funded exchange semesters in Austria, but also prolonged their stays at our university as freemovers”, says Mag.a Christa Koppensteiner, Mobility Coordinator, International Office, Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Burgenland GmbH, Austria.