Prague will support preparatory study courses for youth from Ukraine, launching a subsidy program
Young Ukrainian women during spring registration at the assistance center for refugees. Photo: Jan Puci
Secondary schools, city districts or organizations operating in Prague can apply for subsidies to support the zero years in secondary schools for Ukrainian youth. Courses are produced from January to December 2023, applications can be submitted until Friday 9 December. Vít Hofman, spokesman for the Prague municipality, informed about this.
“Prague wants to help Ukrainian young people to continue their studies at Czech secondary schools and to prepare them for the Czech language and cultural environment. For most of them, integration into the Czech education system is problematic, either because of poor orientation in the type of schools, admission conditions, or the language barrier hinders their study ambitions,” said Prague councilor for education Vít Šimral (Piráti).
According to him, possible social problems can be prevented thanks to educational programs. The subsidy program to support zero grades in secondary schools is primarily intended to support Ukrainian youth aged 15 to 19.
UNICEF will provide 22.5 million crowns and technical expertise for these purposes. Formally, it is a preparation course in the maximum range of January to December 2023, or a course that will exactly copy the Czech school year, including holidays and vacations.
“Refugee teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 face high challenges because they have been torn from their environment by war at a critical time in their lives, transitioning to adulthood, college or work. perhaps some of them hope to return to their country soon and remain in online classes in Ukrainian schools, separated from their former social ties and at the same time in minimal contact with their new environment,” said Yulia Oleinik, Emergency Coordinator and Head of the UNICEF Office for support for solving the refugee situation in the Czech Republic.