{"id":21127,"date":"2026-10-19T17:37:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/?p=21127"},"modified":"2026-10-19T18:00:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T15:00:22","slug":"ukraine-what-does-resilience-look-like-in-the-countrys-education-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/ukraine-what-does-resilience-look-like-in-the-countrys-education-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine: What does resilience look like in the country\u2019s education system?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We live in a world where crises are converging. Climate change, forced migration, conflict and economic shocks, to name but a few. In this context, strengthening education system resilience \u2013 the capacity to not only withstand shocks but adapt and evolve \u2013 is critical. Through the <\/em>Observatory on Education System Resilience<\/em><\/a> initiative, implemented under the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), six regional observatories are helping to understand what education system resilience means across countries.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The <\/em>Observatory in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA)<\/em><\/a> has recently completed primary data collection through interviews with key informants in eight countries. While waiting for the full findings to be published later this year, we interview some of the researchers who have spoken to ministries of education, civil society organizations, international development agencies and more.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a three-part blog series, we explore how education system resilience is understood and practised in different countries, what has changed because of past crises, and what needs to happen to prepare for future disruptions. In this first blog post, we speak with Tetiana Zherobkina, an education researcher in Ukraine and project lead at the EECCA Observatory.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teacher of mathematics, Oksana Galushko teaches a lesson at the Digital Learning Center, established in a safe space of the Snihurivka Lyceum on September, 20, 2024 in Snihurivka, Mykolaiv Region, Ukraine.
Credit: Oleksandr Techynskyi\/AP Images for GPE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Q.: What is the general perception people have of education system resilience? Is this a widely understood term and do most people understand it in similar ways?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My team and I conducted a total of 13 interviews with government representatives \u2014 including Ukraine\u2019s Ministry of Education and Science \u2014 individual researchers, civil society organizations and international development organizations. This allowed us to capture a broad range of perspectives, as the informants we spoke with operate at different levels: shaping national education systems, working directly with communities on the ground and researching education policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps unsurprisingly, all informants were familiar with the concept of education system resilience. The word resilience (rezylientnist<\/em>) has become relatively common in Ukrainian parlance, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, partly because of the ongoing war with Russia. Alongside it, interviewees used a related Ukrainian term, stiykist, which encompasses resilience, robustness, stability and endurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, when asked to describe what a resilient education system actually looks like, they emphasized somewhat different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government representatives tended to describe resilience as the system’s capacity to function despite external shocks, maintain access to learning, preserve the existing network of education facilities, and rebuild those facilities that were destroyed as a result of Russian attacks. Civil society respondents and researchers more often included the psychological well-being of teachers and children, and the quality of learning \u2014 not only its continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several informants also emphasized that a resilient system is not simply one that withstands a shock. It is one that continues to develop: reforming, building new institutions and refusing to put progress on hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these differences, a common thread ran through all responses: Resilience was primarily described through the lens of the system’s capacity to respond to disruptions, rather than anticipate them. This aligns with the findings of the desktop review<\/a> that we have conducted as part of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of the informants mentioned specific policies or strategic documents related to education system resilience, although the related term stiykist<\/em> does appear in such documents. This suggests that resilience in Ukraine currently exists more as practice than as deliberate policy \u2014 something the system does but has not yet fully institutionalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.: Have the informants identified any disruptions to education systems that have informed new policies and practices, making the systems stronger and more resilient?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Among the disruptions discussed by informants, two stood out as most consequential for Ukraine\u2019s education system: the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in February 2022. While these are distinct crises, informants were unanimous in describing them as deeply connected: The first, in many ways, prepared the system for the second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the lockdowns that began in 2019, distance learning developed rapidly. The government launched the All-Ukrainian Online School learning platform<\/a>; some children from vulnerable backgrounds received devices to learn online; and teachers acquired the digital skills and knowledge needed to teach remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion began in 2022 and education was forcibly interrupted, the pause was brief. After the initial shock, schools resumed teaching: online, in hybrid formats or in person where possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine\u2019s decentralization reform, which started in 2014 and has transferred significant responsibilities and budgets from the central government to local authorities, was also cited as a contributing factor. Communities had the autonomy to find local solutions quickly, without waiting for instructions from the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most informants described the defining characteristic of resilience in Ukraine\u2019s education system as its ability to survive and keep functioning in the context of a full-scale war. No other country in the region has faced anything comparable. Over five years of the full-scale war, the system has adapted to operating under conditions of daily crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This adaptation has taken many forms. For example, schools have invested in building and equipping shelters where students can stay safe or even continue learning during air raids, missile strikes, drone attacks or artillery fire. Psychosocial support programs have been launched for students and teachers. More schools, particularly those near the front lines, have been equipped with devices to ensure children can access distance learning even when in-person attendance is impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major success has been the continuity of education itself: Learning did not stop. A major challenge has been the human cost of that continuity. Teachers have taken on roles they were never trained for. For example, they have provided psychological support to children during shelling and have become responsible for their safety during air raids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And communities have been stretched beyond their capacity. For example, they have rebuilt destroyed or damaged buildings where they live and have kept social services running.  Beyond this, the psychological toll on both children and adults is accumulating in ways that are not yet fully visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.: What are the most anticipated future disruptions to education and how is the country preparing for them?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked to think about future disruptions to education, informants identified a few: the continuation or further escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war; ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure and the resulting disruptions to electricity and heating in schools; a deepening demographic crisis, driven by emigration, low birth rates and uncertainty about whether displaced families will return from abroad; a worsening teacher shortage, as fewer young people enter the profession and experienced educators leave; and the long-term psychosocial consequences of years of war, which has accumulated trauma among children and teachers that has not yet fully surfaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several informants also pointed to the rapid development of artificial intelligence as an emerging challenge the system is not yet fully equipped to address. They also noted that a significant deficit in education funding is another likely challenge in light of the growing decline in education spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to preparedness, the picture is uneven. On the one hand, Ukraine has developed some of the region’s most sophisticated education monitoring infrastructure. For example, a risk mapping tool at community level<\/a> that provides a solid foundation for anticipatory planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in wartime Ukraine, tools that were not designed specifically for education have become essential to it as well. For example, a real-time air raid alert system now also shapes the rhythm of the school day, notifying students, teachers and parents as alerts occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, informants were candid that the system’s orientation remains predominantly reactive. As one informant put it, \u201cNo one in good conscience could have planned, in the twenty-first century, for the necessity of building bomb shelters in schools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the immediate priority is simply keeping schools open and children learning, forward-looking risk analysis competes with urgent operational demands \u2014 and urgency tends to win. So, anticipatory measures, where they exist, have largely emerged as a by-product of crisis management rather than as a deliberate, proactive effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, Ukraine’s experience offers an important lesson for research on education system resilience, as well as for policymakers across the region and beyond. It provides valuable insights into what resilience can look like in conflict-affected contexts. The findings suggest that resilience is not simply about maintaining access to learning during crises; it is the capacity of education systems to adapt, evolve and continue improving amid prolonged disruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investments made before a crisis, or in response to earlier disruptions \u2014 such as digital learning infrastructure, teacher capacity development and decentralized governance \u2014 have proved critical in enabling rapid adaptation to new shocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Ukraine\u2019s experience highlights that resilience comes at a cost. While education systems, teachers, students and communities have demonstrated remarkable adaptability, sustaining education under conditions of protracted crisis can place significant psychological and emotional burdens on those involved, many of which may not be immediately visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These findings underscore the importance of understanding resilience as a multidimensional concept that extends beyond continuity of learning to include governance, infrastructure, learning quality and psychosocial well-being \u2014 particularly in conflict-affected settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The views expressed by the interviewees and researcher do not necessarily represent those of GPE or its partners.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full regional findings of the Observatory in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) will be published in a report later in 2026. Explore other blog posts in this series on\u00a0Kyrgyzstan<\/a> and Uzbekistan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog was first published on the GPE KIX website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We live in a world where crises are converging. Climate change, forced migration, conflict and economic shocks, to name but a few. In this context, strengthening education system resilience \u2013 the capacity to not only withstand shocks but adapt and evolve \u2013 is critical. Through the Observatory on Education System Resilience initiative, implemented under the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"topic":[14],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21127"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21127"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21141,"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21127\/revisions\/21141"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21127"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cedos.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=21127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}