SPIEGEL education newsletter: Schoolgirl from Ukraine

"I have one mission in life: to protect my child," says Nataliia Vasylieva.

The 44-year-old Ukrainian sits across from me in a Berlin café.

I get goosebumps, but her 14-year-old daughter Mariia is safe, sitting on the bar stool next to her mother, eating a chocolate mango cake and drinking fruit juice.

"We won't go back until the war is over," says Vasylieva.

February 24 marks the anniversary of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Nataliia Vasylieva says she has been living with her daughter in a small but cozy one-room apartment in Berlin-Neukölln since March 10th, which she found through Host4Ukraine.

"Originally we thought we'd stay for two weeks," says Vasylieva, but then it turned into months, now it's almost a year.

While the two arrived in Berlin, the Conference of Ministers of Education met in Lübeck and declared that they would »welcome schoolchildren who had fled unbureaucratically to the schools and ensure that they could attend school«.

200,000 children and young people from the war zone are currently being taught at German schools, but those affected did not always find a school place straight away, as long waiting lists in North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin, for example, show.

And this schooling was not always desired at all.

Also at the Conference of Ministers of Education a year ago, the Consul General of Ukraine in Hamburg, Iryna Tybinka, called for the children to continue being taught according to the Ukrainian curriculum.

But compulsory schooling also applies to refugee children, most of whom are integrated into the German school system via so-called welcome classes – but many also use a Ukrainian offer at the same time.

Mariia has also been leading a double school life for almost a year.

In Berlin, she was enrolled in the welcome class of a secondary school in Neukölln in May 2022, three weeks ago she made the leap into the regular class and is a completely normal ninth grader there, as she says.

"It's more interesting than just learning German," she says of her new schedule.

The language was the focus at the very beginning, then Mariia initially took part in subjects such as sports, music and English until the language skills finally sufficed for the regular classes.

But when school ends in the afternoon, she cramms for another hour for her school in Kiev, says Mariia.

Due to her appointments, she can only take part in the daily online lessons once a week in the afternoon, but she gets homework every day – in addition to that from the secondary school in Berlin.

"But they're relatively easy, I don't need a lot of time for them," she says and grins.

Mother and daughter have the impression that Ukrainian classes are more demanding.

"It's good to have two options," Mariia says of the parallel structure.

She still has enough time for friends and her hobby of dancing.

She and her mother still don't know what degree the 14-year-old will need one day.

"The war has taught us that it is impossible to make plans," says Mother Vasylieva.

So be prepared for anything.

And you, dear readers, as a student, teacher or parent, how do you experience the consequences of the war in the classroom?

We look forward to your letters at bildung@spiegel.de 

Cordially, Swantje Unterberg

For the SPIEGEL education team

That's going on around the anniversary

1) The long road to integration

Not all students from the Ukraine succeed in connecting to the German school system as smoothly as Mariia.

The »Süddeutsche Zeitung« took a closer look at the situation in Munich.

2) The abolition of the welcome classes

In Saxony-Anhalt, the Ministry of Education announced almost a year after the outbreak of war that most refugees could now be admitted to regular classes, and the arrival classes are to be gradually phased out, as reported by the MDR, among others.

According to the report, the contracts of 192 Ukrainian teachers in the state are also expiring.

3) From the war to school

On the occasion of the anniversary, WDR is also focusing on young people from Ukraine who are starting a new life in Germany.

The three-part documentary “Welcome, Ukraine – From War to School” is already available in the ARD media library.

number of the week

201.157

The KMK announces every week how many children and young people from Ukraine are being taught in schools in this country.

That is 201 more than in the previous week.

And otherwise

The shortage of teachers continues to stir people's minds in this country - especially when it comes to the responsibility of teachers themselves, as the reactions to the two interviews by my colleagues Maik Großekathöfer and Katja Thimm as well as Armin Himmelrath show us.

After all, the problem has now reached federal politics.

Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger warned last week that the shortage of teachers would become "more and more dramatic".

The federal government must have more influence on school policy.

Each federal state is currently digging up various measures - also at the expense of its neighbors: Bavaria, for example, is courting teachers from other federal states with special payments and aggressive advertising.

In Lower Saxony, on the other hand, a primary school tries in vain to orientate itself on the model from another federal state and to reduce the presence time in the classroom.

While Saxony-Anhalt is already experimenting with the "4 plus 1" model, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Education has prohibited the introduction of a four-day week in primary schools.

Incidentally, it is not only in Germany that teachers are running out.

The »Süddeutsche Zeitung« has researched how the European neighbors are dealing with the shortage.

On my own account

Pens out, let's paint!

The children's news magazine "Dein SPIEGEL" and the drugstore chain Rossmann are looking for the best poster ideas for species protection.

Children and young people in the age groups 8 – 11 years and 12 – 16 years can take part.

The closing date for entries is April 30, 2023. And of course digital drafts and pasted collages are also welcome in the »Save Diversity« campaign.

The main thing is that it is an eye-catcher.

All information about the competition and the entry form can be found here.

Ideas, suggestions, feedback?

We look forward to mail to bildung@spiegel.de.