Protecting or losing a generation: why Ukrainian high school students are leaving the country in droves

Ukraine is on the verge of a demographic catastrophe: mass emigration affects not only young professionals or workers, but also those who have not even finished school yet. High school students, especially boys in grades 10 and 11, who are supposed to be the new generation that will raise the country after the war, are leaving their homeland in droves.

The terrible reality of the war, the threat of mobilisation and the lack of quality education are pushing them to leave in search of a safer and better life abroad. The consequences of this process for Ukraine could be catastrophic: loss of human potential, weakening of the economy and even a threat to the country’s defence capability. Is it possible to stop this outflow of the future? The answer to this question should be sought not only by society, but also, and above all, by the government, which faces the challenge of preserving the nation.

The crisis situation

Ukrainian schools are experiencing a phenomenon that can be called a brain drain even before the end of secondary education. More and more high school students, especially boys, are leaving the country. The reasons for this phenomenon are complex and varied: from the desire to avoid mobilisation due to the war to the desire to get a better education and find safer and more stable living conditions. After all, boys have to be registered for military service at the age of 17, and cannot leave the country until they are 18. So many parents try to take their sons abroad before they turn 17 or 18.

According to a survey conducted by the SaveEd International Charitable Foundation, as of the beginning of 2024, a quarter of Ukrainian schoolchildren expressed a desire to move abroad.

Ukraine still lacks verified data on the number of Ukrainian citizens, including children, living abroad. At the same time, foreign data also varies. This is because not all families with children have been granted temporary protection in EU countries. For example, in France, minors can stay in the country without a permit, so they are usually not included in temporary protection statistics. In Ireland and Hungary, data on temporary protection is not disaggregated by age group. Also, these statistics may not reflect those persons who have registered but have not yet been officially granted temporary protection.

For example, according to the latest data, from 24 February 2022 to 12 December 2023, 831,431 Ukrainian students were integrated into EU schools. But the real numbers may be much higher. After all, there are also students who study remotely from abroad only in a Ukrainian school and have not been integrated into the EU school system, so they are not included in these statistics because they are not required to attend the school of the host country.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as of October 2024, the number of Ukrainian schoolchildren abroad was as follows

• in Ireland – 97% ;
• in Romania – 83%, in France – 69%;
• in Germany and Austria – 63%;
• in Moldova – 8%;
• In Croatia – 16%.
• In the UK – 17%.

In general, the number of young people (people aged 14 to 35) in Ukrainian society has significantly decreased from around 10 million in 2022 to around 7 million as of 2024. According to forecasts, the number of young people in Ukraine could drop to 5 million in 2030.

Why is there an outflow of high school students?

War, economic difficulties and uncertainty about the future play a key role. Many families are looking for better conditions for their children abroad, trying to avoid the impact of war and economic instability. Boys of high school age, who may be mobilised in a few years, are particularly vulnerable to such decisions.

After the outbreak of the war, many parents began taking their high school students abroad to avoid future mobilisation. According to educational institutions abroad, a significant proportion of Ukrainian high school students move abroad for this very purpose. Since young men can be called up for military service upon reaching the age of majority, some families are looking for ways to take their children to safer countries in Europe. This process is gaining proportions that cannot be ignored. For example, in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany, the number of Ukrainian high school students has increased significantly over the past year. Some of them are enrolling in local schools, while others are continuing their distance learning to leave the possibility of returning. Parents are taking advantage of the fact that high school students are not yet subject to mobilisation to ensure that they can avoid military service in the future.

This phenomenon is especially common among middle- and high-income families who have the opportunity to provide their children with education abroad and to complete all the necessary documents.

In addition, the war and political crises have led to lower living standards, inflation, and job losses. Many families see more prospects abroad, where there is stability and economic opportunities.

And education in Ukraine is going through a difficult time. The unsuccessful reforms of the Ministry of Education and Science are only pushing the educational process to the brink of failure and leaving parents of high school students with no choice but to take their children abroad.

Although the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Oksen Lisovyi, claims that Western education is partly mythologised and that the universities Ukrainian children go to are no better than domestic higher education institutions, his words convince few people. The Ukrainian education system is not always able to compete with Western standards, which pushes young people to look for better opportunities to study abroad.

Young Ukrainians often see no prospects for themselves in the country. They see corruption, political instability and a lack of real reforms, which prompts them to look for better conditions for self-realisation.

This trend is extremely dangerous for the future of Ukraine. The outflow of young people threatens a demographic crisis and economic weakening of the state. The loss of a significant part of the most talented and promising citizens means that Ukraine will be left without its main resource for development – human potential. High school students who leave rarely return. They get an education, assimilate into the new environment and become part of the economies of other countries.

The outflow of young people, especially boys, is exacerbating the demographic crisis. At a time when Ukraine’s population is already declining due to low birth rates and the war, mass emigration will further aggravate the situation. If a large proportion of young men emigrate, this will create a problem for mobilisation and weaken the country’s defence capability. The outflow of those who could potentially serve in the army leaves the Ukrainian armed forces without the necessary reserves.

High school students who leave Ukraine mostly do not return. This means that the EU and other developed countries receive ready-made young professionals, whom Ukraine has spent resources on educating.

In search of a better life

Ukrainian high school students are not living the life they dreamed of. Every day is a struggle between the usual desire to learn and build a future and the terrible reality of war. Especially boys – those who yesterday planned to study at universities, fall in love, and dream of success – are now forced to make different decisions dictated by the war.

Many of them no longer see a safe world. Their childhood was cut short with the first explosion, and their youth is now a crossroads of fear of mobilisation and hopelessness hanging over their every decision. Their parents, with tears in their eyes, gather their documents, pack their bags, say goodbye to a home they may never see again. They are leaving, not knowing whether they will return.

In every heart, there is a difficult question: did I do the right thing by leaving? Did I betray my friends, my country? And these thoughts permeate every minute of their life in a foreign land, where learning new languages and subjects becomes not just a need, but a necessity to survive. But even there, in quiet classrooms abroad, their thoughts will often return home – to the explosions, to the destroyed streets of their hometown, and to those left behind to fight.

This is not an escape, but an attempt to find salvation from the threat. They dream of returning, but not all of them know if it will be possible.

In Ukraine, the problem of young men who have not yet reached the age of majority is increasingly being discussed. Although mobilisation in Ukraine starts at the age of 25, it is no longer possible to leave after 18, and so sometimes parents send their children abroad before they reach the age of majority.

“Young people and their parents do not see a future here, so they will look for a better life outside of Ukraine, with the hope that maybe their children will return after their studies. But maybe not. They definitely don’t want to go to war at the age of 17,” says Oleksandr Mysan, a Kyiv resident who is currently defending the country, but whose 16-year-old son Oleksandr left for Slovakia.

Iryna from Kyiv had to make the decision to send her 16-year-old son Jan to study in Slovakia, as the boy has Tourette’s syndrome (a congenital neuropsychiatric disease that requires a special daily routine and diet – ed.) Without these conditions, the disease can get out of control. In addition, the military medical commission recognised him as ‘fit for service in certain units’.

“The feeling that children will no longer be able to leave the country after they come of age pushes their parents to use the last chance to go abroad. In addition, there is a conflict that sick boys who are unfit for service in peacetime can be mobilised in wartime up to the age of 25. I put so much effort into raising him. There is a big problem with the treatment of Tourette syndrome in Ukraine,’ says Iryna, describing the difficult situation in her family.

“Making the choice to leave often means losing friends, leaving family, adapting to a new culture, feeling guilty, and it’s very difficult. In turn, those who choose to stay face conscription anxiety,’ describes the problem child psychologist Oksana Pysareva from the Voices of Children Foundation.

How to stop the outflow of young people

Clearly, this crisis requires an immediate response from the government. The mobilisation and education systems need to be radically improved so that Ukrainian schoolchildren see the prospects of receiving a quality education at home. This includes modernising the curriculum, introducing modern technology and raising the level of teachers.

The government should work to create a safer and more stable living environment in the country so that people do not feel the need to flee abroad. Incentives for young people, such as grants, scholarships, and support for start-ups, could help keep young people in the country. It is important to create programmes that support young people and give them the opportunity for self-realisation.

Fostering patriotism and responsibility for the future of their country also plays an important role. Young people should feel that they are part of a common national project.

The massive outflow of high school students, particularly boys, threatens the future of Ukraine. If this trend is not stopped, the country could be left without important human capital and find itself in an even deeper crisis. The government must take decisive action to ensure that young Ukrainians have opportunities for development and self-realisation at home. This is the only way for Ukraine to secure its future.

Today, the country is facing a tragic dilemma: on the one hand, war, mobilisation and an uncertain future, and on the other, a massive outflow of young people who should be building a new country. High school students, especially boys, are leaving Ukraine in the hope of a better life abroad, losing touch with their homeland. This is not just a wake-up call – it is a blow to the heart of a nation that is losing its future leaders, teachers, scientists, and defenders. If this trend continues, Ukraine risks losing more than the war has already taken – it may lose its future. The government must act immediately: invest in education, create opportunities for young people, and ensure stability and security. This is the only way to stop this tragic exodus and give Ukrainian schoolchildren a reason to stay home and fight for their country.