During the last academic years, Ukrainian children in Czech schools received state support, which allowed them to gradually adapt to the new linguistic and educational reality. A key element of this support were Ukrainian-speaking assistants — specialists who helped students in classes, explained school rules, translated, contacted parents, and acted as mediators between the school and the family. Thanks to this model, in many schools it was possible to avoid the isolation of children who did not know the Czech language and to ensure at least minimal stability in education. However, from September 1, 2025, this system is changing.
What changes have taken place
The decision of the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic not to continue the funding program for Ukrainian-speaking assistants from September 2025 was one of the first systemic changes that will directly affect the education of Ukrainian children in public schools. Prior to that, for three academic years, support was provided through targeted grants: schools received funds for the payment of assistants, the purchase of materials, and the organization of additional language support. The rejection of this mechanism is a turning point in the approach to the integration of children from Ukraine into the Czech educational system. Instead of centralized aid, regional initiatives with limited coverage and uneven quality are emerging. This creates new challenges for both schools and families.
Starting from September 1, the system of support for Ukrainian children in Czech schools will undergo significant changes. According to information List of Messages, until the summer of 2025, Czech schools in which the share of students with temporary protection exceeded 10% had access to state subsidies. Only in the first five months of the current year, such support has reached 193 educational institutions. The total amount — 89 million kroner — made it possible to pay for the work of assistants who knew the Ukrainian language, helped students navigate the school space, and acted as mediators between parents, teachers, and the administration. In many cases, it was thanks to their presence that the child could adapt to the new environment without prolonged stress or rejection.
The assistants participated in the daily processes: they helped explain the educational material, accompanied the child to classes, advised teachers on cultural differences, translated documents and communication between families and the school. Their importance went far beyond the boundaries of a formal position — they actually played the role of a contact link, without which integration would be impossible in some cases.
Why was the program canceled?
In an answer to Seznam Zprávy journalists, the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic explained the decision as a transition to general funding of non-teaching staff. Instead of separate support for specific groups of students, the ministry plans to redistribute funds centrally within the school budget. In practice, this means that the schools themselves will determine the priorities — and not all will be able or willing to allocate funds for the assistant’s work.
Part of the support is kept only in the form of basic language training, financed at the level of regional budgets. But, as experts note, a language course does not replace individual help. The assistant can respond to current difficulties, and not work according to a generalized program. At the same time, the new model provides for a limited amount – up to 400 hours of language training – and the absence of flexible response mechanisms to the needs of newly arrived students.
Schools’ response: different strategies in different settings
For many school principals, the news about the cancellation of assistant funding came as a surprise. About 100 Ukrainian children studied at the Vrchlického primary school in the city of Liberec. Director Pavel Tsoufal reported that at the end of June he was forced to terminate the contracts of five assistants. From September, the school will remain without any language support, despite the fact that most children still do not know Czech even at an elementary level.
In Prague 8, at the school named after Bohumil Hrabal, the situation was resolved differently. The head Matej Rashovsky redirected part of the funds that were intended to improve the quality of the educational process in order to preserve the positions of assistants. In this way, the school will continue working with Ukrainian-speaking students, although these resources are limited and temporary.
Some schools form separate language groups — intensive Czech language courses designed to speed up adaptation. But not everyone can organize such formats. This requires free classes, teachers, materials, as well as the technical ability to conduct parallel training.
One of the main problems pointed out by the directors is the unpredictability of the situation. Pupils from Ukraine arrive throughout the school year. The funding model does not take this dynamic into account. In some regions, there is simply not enough space, and most schools do not have enough teachers who have experience working with children who do not speak the language of instruction. The open letter of the directors of schools in the Prague 8 district clearly states: the state does not take into account the realities in which educational institutions with a large number of Ukrainian children operate.
Rejection of centralized funding transfers responsibility for integration to the schools themselves and local budgets. This increases inequality: in better-off areas, children will receive help, and in less well-off areas, children will remain without support. Such conditions create a risk of isolation for some students and a decrease in the quality of education.
Consequences for families
For many Ukrainian families, the cancellation of the program will become a problem that has both a domestic and an administrative dimension. The absence of a Ukrainian-speaking assistant means difficulties in understanding the educational process, the impossibility of full participation of parents in communication with the school, difficulties in preparing documents, submitting applications and filling out forms.
This is especially true for newly arrived families or those who have moved to a new region. If earlier the assistant helped to go through the enrollment procedure, explain the conditions of study, adapt the child, now all this is placed on the shoulders of parents, who themselves may not have a sufficient level of language or experience interacting with educational institutions abroad.
In the new situation, parents should familiarize themselves with the peculiarities of the regional education system in advance, clarify whether there are support programs at the school, look for local language training initiatives or integration platforms. In a number of cases, it is advisable to seek legal advice: for example, when changing schools, submitting an application for additional training or registering student status without registering in the system.
Termination of funding for Ukrainian-speaking assistants in the Czech Republic not only reduces the amount of available assistance, but also changes the very structure of the educational integration of Ukrainian children. The new model shifts responsibility from the state level to schools and families, which exacerbates inequality of access to quality education. Schools lack flexible response mechanisms, families lack support tools. Therefore, in the coming months, the role of local initiatives, professional legal assistance and sharing of experiences between parents will increase. For most Ukrainian children, these changes will mean that adaptation will take place in conditions of less structured support and will require much more effort on the part of the family.
