First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska participated in the format of a video in the event “Shaping the Future of Learning Now,” held in New York as part of the UN Summit of the Future.
During her speech, she noted that in Ukraine, the fundamental right of children to education must be physically defended against Russian aggression.
“It is incredibly difficult to teach and learn, to send your child to school, when air raid sirens go off in your city every day. But Ukrainians would never want to deprive their children of the right to education, development, and a future. That’s why we are probably the country with the most advanced online learning system in the world today,” said the First Lady.
To address the need for devices for students and teachers for remote learning, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, along with the Olena Zelenska Foundation and international partners, have established the Device Coalition.
The First Lady emphasized that digitalization has become a strong point of Ukrainian education.
“We have a range of applications for online education. One of them is the app ‘Mriia,’ introduced by the President of Ukraine. It not only tracks the learning schedule and academic performance but also serves as a guide to the vast educational world for both parents and children,” she added.
Olena Zelenska also mentioned that despite the war, Ukraine has continued its school nutrition reform.
“No one has ever carried out such a large-scale reform during wartime. With it, Ukraine has joined the international School Meals Coalition. And on November 12-13 this year, Kyiv will host one of the events of this organization – the European Regional School Nutrition Summit, which will gather government representatives, organizations, and experts from around the world,” the First Lady stated.
Moreover, the First Lady highlighted that, despite gaining this experience under extreme circumstances, Ukraine has valuable insights to share with the world.