Commenting on the passing of motion 35 at Annual Conference in Harrogate, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Russia’s invasion of, and war against, Ukraine has been a war on Ukraine’s children.
“Children have lost loved ones, been separated from their families, and forced to flee across borders. They have seen their homes, playgrounds and schools bombed. Over 3,790 educational facilities have been attacked – disrupting the education of 4 million children.
“The NEU is proud to stand in solidarity with our sister union, the Trade Union of Science and Education Workers of Ukraine (TUESWU). Support provided by the NEU has also enabled the building of a children’s summer camp outside of Kyiv with an emergency shelter to protect camp users against air strikes and shelling and ensure they can continue to learn in safety.
“The NEU reaffirms its support to Ukrainian educators, students and the people of Ukraine. The children of Ukraine must be able to look forward to a future free of war where they can return to school without fear of violence or attack”.
Editor’s Note
The full-scale war in Ukraine, which broke out in February 2022, has disrupted the education of around 4 million children – the vast majority of school students across the country. About 600,000 students are currently learning remotely and no longer attend face-to-face classes,
- Verified attacks on education facilities in Ukraine more than doubled in 2024. Analysis by Save the Children shows 576 education facilities in Ukraine – including schools, kindergartens and universities – were damaged or destroyed in 2024 compared to 256 education facilities in 2023.
- Throughout the war on Ukraine the NEU has provided significant solidarity and funds to its sister union, the Trade Union of Science and Education Workers of Ukraine (TUESWU), including finance to support the building of a children’ summer camp, with a bomb shelter to protect camp users against air strikes and ensure they can continue to learn and work in safety. NEU members have also fundraised to buy generators for Ukraine’s schools.