The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has approved a technology that helps students bridge educational gaps

35,000 primary school students in the frontline regions used the innovative technology for the first time thanks to the project “Digital tools for overcoming learning disabilities, socio-emotional development and mental health assessment for the most vulnerable children”. 

11,000 teachers and psychologists from Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kharkiv regions were trained thanks to the project. 

900 PCs were purchased and delivered to frontline rural schools to power 100 mobile classrooms. They are equipped with charging stations and inclusive kits for students with special educational needs. 

For the first time, digital screening of the emotional well-being of students in grades 1-4 was conducted in 6 frontline regions. As a result, the Ministry of Education and Science approved this technology for use in the educational process. 

The Emotional Well-Being Screening is a digital diagnostic tool that allows to identify a complex of PTSD symptoms in students. A questionnaire for children has been integrated into the eKidz.eu digital textbook, which is used to catch up on knowledge. This helps to assess the baseline indicators of the child’s emotional well-being and focus on the use of psychological support tools. 

In addition, the eKidz.eu textbook integrates artificial intelligence, as its tools allow to reduce the teacher’s time. It has been approved by the MES for use in 2022. The textbook is among the 20 training tools with proven effectiveness, according to UNISEF’s expertise. 

According to Iryna Martynenko, PhD psychologist and expert of the project, the artificial intelligence integrated into the textbook allowed to study the reading speed of primary school students from 6 frontline regions. It confirmed the widening gap in the knowledge of students between urban and rural schools, from grades 1 to 4. This demonstrates the urgent need to consolidate the work on catching up knowledge in primary classes and rural schools. 

Thanks to the project, children who studied remotely for 6 weeks were able to catch up with children who studied offline. We noticed the biggest changes in the increase of reading speed, reading interest, motivation and activity of the children. 

“The main components of the project’s success are: digital tools, psychosocial support and socio-emotional education of children, as well as advanced training and mentoring support for teachers,” said Iryna Martynenko. 

The project was implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science by the charitable organization “100% Life” in partnership with the NGO “Ukrainian Smile” with the financial support of the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine. 

The NGO “Ukrainian Smile” is a non-governmental organization that seeks to support the future of a free Ukraine by providing the next generation with access to education, welfare and health care. The organization is part of the Coalition of Devices, an association of organizations, businesses, governments and philanthropists that will provide devices for online learning to Ukrainian students and teachers who need to conduct the educational process online. 

CO “100% Life” is the largest patient organization in Ukraine, working in the field of public health for more than 20 years, implementing national humanitarian aid projects with the support of international donors.