“Children are regaining their motivation to learn,” says a history teacher from Kryvyi Rih

“The first results are impressive,” says Tetiana Vasylivna, who teaches history in Kryvyi Rih.

In September, catch-up classes were launched in communities in the Dnipropetrovsk region to help students recover from learning losses. The opportunity to catch up on the school curriculum is available for students aged 6 to 17 who have been unable to fully access education due to the war.

“We taught children online for almost two years, starting from the pandemic. Then came the full-scale invasion. Many families evacuated, and there was no opportunity to dedicate enough time to fully mastering the school curriculum. This, of course, had a significant impact on the children: on their academic performance, overall development, and even their ability to build cause-and-effect relationships,” says Tetiana Vasylivna, a history teacher in Kryvyi Rih.

Now, Tetiana gathers groups of up to six students several times a week to help 7th, 8th, and 9th graders catch up. The catch-up program for educational losses in Dnipropetrovsk communities became possible thanks to the financial support of the Faroe Islands government.

“My priority is to ensure that the children are fully engaged. That’s why we incorporate personal experience, competitions, and history quizzes into the learning process. This has a very powerful effect. The children are regaining their enthusiasm for gaining new knowledge and showing real interest in the topics,” Tetiana emphasizes.

She notes that due to the events of recent years, even children who had previously studied certain topics are facing difficulties in mastering the material. Tetiana Vasylivna is currently addressing these issues through extracurricular intensives.

“The first results are already impressive. Soon, we have even planned to visit the city’s local history museum together. This will be an extremely valuable experience for reinforcing the theoretical material that the war has deprived us of. Of course, safety comes first: the museum is equipped with a shelter in case of an air raid,” Tetiana Vasylivna emphasizes.

Catch-up classes are available in the communities of Kryvyi Rih and Marhanets until the end of the year. As part of this program, implemented by the NGO “Responsible Citizens,” children will be able to improve their knowledge in all core school subjects, prepare for exams, or continue their studies at higher educational institutions.