During her visit to France, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, together with First Lady Brigitte Macron and Minister of Education Gabriel Attal, visited the Elementary School de l'Arbalete, a French public school located in the central part of Paris, in the historic 5th arrondissement.
Currently, 268 children, including two students from Ukraine, are studying at this school. In total, as of November this year, 17,089 Ukrainian children are enrolled in secondary schools in France.
In April 2022, with the assistance of the Embassy of Ukraine in France, the Academy of Paris opened Ukrainian language courses for temporarily displaced children from Ukraine at the School de l'Arbalete. The courses are free of charge and are available to both Ukrainians and children of other nationalities who study in Parisian schools under the French education system. Currently, 56 children attend the courses at this institution. The language is also taught in two other schools in Paris, in the 12th and 19th arrondissements. The total number of children attending courses in the three schools is 170.
To provide teaching at the courses, the Academy of Paris has allocated a total of eight positions for Ukrainian language teachers. They were taken up by teachers who found protection from Russian aggression in Ukraine in France.
"Ukrainian children have faced too many challenges because of the Russian invasion. From physical danger to moral trials due to the need to leave home and take root in a new place, often in a new culture. I really want to protect them from all possible hardships, to give them a sense of confidence, a sense of the future. It is very encouraging that here, in France, people understand this and are already doing it," Olena Zelenska emphasized.
