With the support of the EU and the Republic of Korea, UNICEF Granted 10,000 tablets and laptops to Ukrainian schoolchildren

On April 27, 2023, a handover of laptops and tablets for schoolchildren in the Luhansk region took place at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. The event was attended by the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Oksen Lisovyi, the Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, Remi Duflo, the Head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representation in Ukraine, Murat Shahin, and the Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Artem Lysogor.

"One-third of schoolchildren who are supposed to study in distance learning format today cannot do so due to the lack of any device. Therefore, together with our partners, we are doing everything possible to increase the number of children who have access to computer equipment. This is critically important for those regions that regularly suffer from Russian attacks and have temporarily occupied territories," said Oksen Lisovyi.

UNICEF, with financial support from the European Union and the Republic of Korea, has delivered 5,000 tablets for primary school students, and an equal number of laptops for middle and high school students. The electronic devices will be distributed to schools throughout Ukraine. This assistance from UNICEF will help Ukrainian children continue their education online, as many of them have been unable to attend school for some time due to security concerns. The aid is also aimed at displaced children who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict. In addition, the devices will be provided to children with disabilities, those from low-income families, those who are orphaned, and those who do not have gadgets to connect to online classes.

The new supply of laptops and tablets from UNICEF was made possible by a 10 million euro funding from the European Union aimed at providing access to education for children in the context of full-scale war. The goal of EU's financial support is to enable 680,000 children and 22,000 teachers to continue their education online, and offline if the security situation allows.

"The European Union is proud to support this initiative aimed at ensuring continuous teaching and learning. Even in the conditions of full-scale Russian aggression, children should have access to quality education, wherever they may be. By providing this equipment, we are helping to ensure the continuity of education and the development of children for their successful future," said Remi Duflot, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

The Republic of Korea has allocated 4 million US dollars to support formal and informal education for children in Ukraine.

«Ensuring continuous education process should be a priority under any circumstances. Last year, the Republic of Korea delivered 6,000 laptops as humanitarian aid for Ukrainian children. And now, we are pleased to make another significant contribution to Ukraine's future together with UNICEF. Korea will continue to support Ukraine," said Kim Heung-tea, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine.

Only about a third of Ukrainian schools were able to start in-person learning from September 1, 2022. This means that about 3 million children are currently attending classes online or in a hybrid format."

"Every child has the right to education, even when it's difficult to provide. UNICEF focuses on providing opportunities for learning to children who have difficulties accessing education due to the lack of appropriate equipment," emphasized the head of UNICEF Representation in Ukraine, Murat Shahin.

Children in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, and Kherson regions will receive laptops and tablets.

As a reminder, a meeting took place between Oksen Lysovyy and the delegation of the Group of Friends of Ukraine at UNESCO.