Since September, 40 000 children have registered for school, 30 000 fewer than have arrived in the Czech Republic since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Martin Kuba (ODS), the head of the South Bohemian Region, announced the news after a meeting between the government and regional governors.

“Thirty thousand children out of seventy thousand did not enroll in schools,” Kuba said on Thursday.

The data, he said, will not change much. “Enrollment (of war refugee children) ends on July 15, which is tomorrow. So we don’t expect a jump in enrolment,” he stressed.

The prime minister commented that the numbers from the admissions were lower than the government had predicted. He said the state will continue to address the situation in cooperation with regions and municipalities.

“We have to take into account that the numbers will fluctuate,” he said. He said the government will look for alternative ways to ensure compulsory school attendance.

Some Ukrainians began entering domestic schools as soon as the Russian attack on Ukraine began on February 24. According to the Czech School Inspectorate, by mid-May there were 3,800 of them in kindergartens and 26,000 in primary schools. According to the inspectorate, about three-quarters of them have not yet entered kindergartens, and two-thirds have not yet entered primary schools.

Capacities and compulsory attendance

Some schools and places have already reported capacity problems. However, schools will continue to create classes for pupils from Ukraine in the next school year if they do not have space for them in regular classes.

In addition, the law is to be amended to stipulate that refugees must start compulsory schooling in the Czech Republic no later than 90 days from the date of granting temporary protection.

Enrolment of children of war refugees from Ukraine in primary and kindergarten schools in the Czech Republic for the 2022/2023 school year runs from 1 June to Friday, 15 July.

For Czech children, enrolment took place in April, with 142,000 pre-school children attending. Czechs could enrol their offspring in kindergartens in the first half of May.

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