Enrolling displaced children in school: what you need to know

The head of the “Nova Peremoha” NGO Serhiy Slychko talked about the legalities of enrolling displaced children in school, and the basic rights of parents when enrolling in a new educational institution.

The academic year is already underway, but for many displaced people, the problem of enrolling children in educational institutions still stands.

“Some citizens are still faced with questions: how and what to do when you need to enroll a child in school? Which institutions should I contact? What documents are required and what to do if you don’t have them? How to transfer when the school year is already in progress?
I had similar problems once, and I know how vital it is to solve them. Let me share some tips you may find useful,” said Serhiy Slychko.

According to Serhiy Slychko, the first thing to do when you have moved to another city and you need to enroll your child is to contact the educational institution where you would like to enroll them, and write an application. In some cities it is possible to enroll in school online.

Here’s what you should attach to the application: a copy of the child’s birth certificate or an identity document; a medical certificate of the results of a mandatory medical professional examination; if available, an education document.

An IDP certificate is not required to enroll a child, but displaced children with official registration are prioritized. Enrollment in school can take place without documents about where the child studied, and even without a birth certificate. There are no deadlines for accepting documents for transferring to a new school, they can be submitted even in the middle of the academic year. The procedure does not change in this case.

In addition, Serhiy Slychko emphasized that regardless of where you came from and where you arrived, there are general mandatory rules for all schools that you should also know.
“In order for the child’s enrollment or transfer to another school to be as quick as possible, I recommend learning some of the rights provided by the law. First of all, testing or exams for enrolling a child in the first grade of a regular school are prohibited. Exceptions may be in art or sports schools. Parents have the right to enroll their child in any school that suits them. But it is worth knowing that children are enrolled first according to their place of registration, and all others are enrolled into available spots.

When submitting documents, it is worth making a copy of the application and asking the person who accepted the documents to put the date and signature. You can also take a photo of the original application, where its registration number is visible,” said the head of the NGO.

Serhiy Slychko also added that there are several categories of children who have a priority for enrolling: children whose older brother or sister studies at the same school, children whose parents work at the school, graduates of preschool institutions, if the institution is a part of the school, and officially registered IDPs.

If you face problems due to illegal actions during enrollment or transfer to another school, you can file an online complaint through the website of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine or the educational ombudsman.

You can get more useful information on Serhiy Slychko’s “Nova Peremoha” channel.