Inside Europe's only Ukrainian-Hungarian school for refugee children
The Ukrainian-Hungarian bilingual school in Budapest, which opened in September, integrates multiculturalism and psychological support into its curriculum.
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00:00This bilingual school for Ukrainian refugee children in Budapest is the only facility
00:06of its kind in Europe. It offers Ukrainian and Hungarian educational certifications.
00:13The founders of the House of Ukrainian Traditions say they wanted to open the facility after
00:18they discovered Ukrainian students enrolled locally were not integrated and this was reflected
00:24in their grades.
00:25I went through the classes and did a short survey. Where did you come from? What is your
00:32name? Where did you come from? Where did you study at that time? And a sufficient number
00:39of children said we were in a Hungarian school. Okay, can you introduce yourself in Hungarian?
00:45I am so-and-so, I came from there. Only two students were able to do it.
00:52The founders say integration for the students is hard. This is due to a difference in curriculum
00:59but also because many refugees are traumatized from the war. A large portion of the students
01:07require special attention.
01:22Two psychologists are on hand to help the students process the trauma. They and the
01:31school's teachers have their salaries paid for by the Hungarian government and donations.
01:39Veronika arrived in Hungary with a small rucksack and her sister without her parents in the
01:44spring of 2022. She attended other local schools and while she says they were not bad,
01:50the atmosphere at the House of Ukrainian Traditions is much better.
01:55Actually, it was a very difficult period, but thanks to it I grew up, I was able to
02:02control my emotions, I was able to become stronger, but I am also very sad for my homeland.
02:11400 students are enrolled at the House of Ukrainian Traditions, which opened in September.
02:19The UN estimates that there are 10,000 Ukrainian children living in Hungary, with many keen
02:25to hit the books.