Rural Education in Times of War - The case of Ukraine

The article explores rural education in the context of the Ukrainian war from 2014 to 2024, drawing insights from scientific research and media publications. It delves into how military aggression has impacted the distinctive features, challenges, and risks encountered by individuals involved in the educational process in rural schools. Moreover, it highlights the significance of creating a secure educational environment in these institutions as a crucial step in ensuring the safety and well-being of the younger generation during wartime. This includes providing adequate shelter for all educational process participants. The impact of demographic, socioeconomic, and educational factors on the learning development of rural students has been identified. The article presents several aspects of the work of a rural school's principal and teaching staff with internally displaced students (war refugees); activities aimed at adapting the educational setting to continue education in crises and providing psychological assistance to children who have experienced war trauma. The study highlights the importance of guaranteeing access to rural education, providing sufficient funding, infrastructure, and technical equipment for distance (blended) learning in crises, etc. The results of the empirical study involving 50 rural principals and 202 educators from the western regions of Ukraine have identified the most common challenges in professional activity and the challenges of Ukrainian school-aged war refugee children. The tasks and prospects of rural education during wartime have been determined. It has been shown that education during war requires coordination and cooperation between state establishments, international communities, local organizations, social workers, educational managers, and independent experts to ensure maximum educational opportunities and protection of children in learning environments.