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"I live in a town that is constantly under fire [….] we work with children every day, and the safer they are in educational institutions, the more effective our contribution is to their developments” says Eva Teslenko, Inspector for work with children of the National Police of Ukraine in the Sumy Region. She was one of the participants who attended a three-day workshop on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support on 27 May in the city of Lviv.

Organized by UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, with the support of the Government of Japan, the workshop brought together more than 100 participants from across the country to discuss one of the key issues in Ukraine’s education sector today: the protection of mental health of students and teachers.

“I want to thank UNESCO, the Government of Japan and all our education partners for their continued support [...] I urge every one of you to actively participate in the discussions and deliberations ahead,” “Share your knowledge, insights, and best practices so that we may develop innovative solutions tailored to our unique context,” stated Oksen Lisovyi, Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science.

The Deputy Ambassador of Japan and the Advisor for the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the support of Education, Science, and Sports also addressed the participating experts, partners, authorities, and education personnel.

Today, Ukraine’s population lives under constant stress with a high risk of experiencing emotional harm and mental health issues. In the education sector, 26% of Ukrainian teenagers have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. 75% of schoolchildren have experienced stress. 54% of Ukrainian teachers are professionally "burned out". Children and education staff affected by the war have an increased risk of suffering emotional harm and developing mental health problems with grave implications for their overall health and well-being. Imperative measures are therefore needed to address these challenges.

Said Eva Teslenko during her participation to the workshop. “It is extremely important for children to feel protected and to be sure that all the structures around them are working together for this purpose.”

Andrii Turchenko, Inspector for work with children of the National Police in Kharkiv region, said: “One of the most important problems of our time is the mental and psychological state of a child in learning environment in times of war. Mental health care and psychosocial support for the educational community should be the main point in creating a safe environment because it is impossible to ensure healthy and learning without such protection.”

The workshop is part of an ambitious UNESCO initiative aiming to support Ukraine in the transformation of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support services in the education sector through three pillars: Policy reform, training for key education partners, and direct provision of mental health and psychosocial support to students.

“The staffing capacity of our teachers, their readiness to respond to threats to the physical and psychological well-being of our children is extremely important, as it can prevent chaos” said Anastasia Kolischak, Inspector of the State Emergency Service in Kharkiv. “Clear step-by-step instructions on how to respond can save lives.”

To reduce the negative effects of the war on the mental health of Ukrainian people, the authorities together with international and national partners have launched and adopted several programmes and orders, including the under the leadership of the Office of the First Lady, and the upon the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

During the workshop, participants were introduced to the key policies developed in line with these programmes and orders and conducted thematic group work to develop tools and recommendations for the implementation of these policies.