How Ukrainian schools abroad help children preserve language and identity

In these circumstances, parents face a difficult but logical question: how to preserve a child’s connection with their homeland, family history, and cultural roots. How to ensure that Ukraine does not become merely an abstract image from the news or a place “where we once lived.”

One response to this challenge has been the emergence of Ukrainian schools, extracurricular groups, and educational programs abroad. In recent years, they have become an important part of Ukrainian community life across Europe. This article focuses on the experience of Germany and the role Ukrainian schools play today — a role that goes far beyond supplementary education.

The first Ukrainian schools in Germany began to appear after 2014. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, this process became widespread. Educational centers were established on the initiative of parents, teachers, and volunteers, often within community organizations, churches, and cultural centers.

Today, these schools have long moved beyond the format of Saturday classes. They operate in various modes — on weekends and weekday evenings — adapting to the rhythm of life for families in emigration. Such spaces emerge wherever there is a need to preserve language, culture, and a sense of inner stability for children growing up between two countries. In practice, this now applies to most large and small cities across Germany.

For many families, Ukrainian schools offer a way to maintain a connection with their roots in a context where the German education system quickly integrates children, shaping new rules and social roles. As a result, parents are not only looking for academic programs but also for a safe environment in which a child can preserve their identity.

As school representatives note, family expectations often extend beyond academic subjects. “Parents come to us not only for knowledge. What matters to them is preserving language, culture, and a sense of belonging,” says Oksana Pechenega, director of a Ukrainian school in Osnabrück. According to her, education is inseparable from psychological support and the need to feel part of a community.

Educational programs in Ukrainian schools in Germany are designed to complement the local education system. Children study Ukrainian language, literature, and history, engage with cultural context, and develop critical thinking skills. At the same time, teachers must abandon standardized approaches, as children arrive with different backgrounds, varying levels of preparation, and the consequences of war and forced displacement.

“The biggest challenge is working with children who live between two realities,” explains Oksana Pechenega. Adapting to a new country is often difficult, which is why the school becomes a place where children can slow down and feel heard. For this reason, the focus is placed not only on acquiring knowledge but also on developing thinking skills and the ability to form one’s own position.

Ukrainian schools also play a distinct role in building communities. They become spaces where children find friends and parents find support. Through shared classes, events, and educational projects, living language, traditions, and values are preserved — things that are difficult to transmit within the family alone. For many children, this is the only environment where Ukrainian sounds natural and requires no explanation.

“The most important thing for our children is not to lose their roots,” the school director concludes. At the same time, these schools help raise independent and responsible individuals who can integrate into a new society without abandoning their identity.

This conclusion is also confirmed by my personal experience. My child attends a Ukrainian school in Germany as well. It is not a formal educational setting, but a space that combines knowledge, support, and a sense of community. For many families in emigration, such schools become an important point of stability. For our small family, they do too.