The Learning Recovery Program for Ukraine

Summary

In 2024, Teach For Ukraine, in partnership with the UBS Optimus Foundation, committed to launch the Learning Recovery Program for Ukraine, centered around the National Tutoring Corps initiative, to address the educational setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war. This two-year program aims to recruit and train at least 500 tutors and support 10,000 students in its first year, with plans to expand the initiative to support 30,000 more students by the second year. The program will offer workshops, mentoring, and essential resources, including technology, to both educators and students, addressing the academic and socio-emotional challenges faced by Ukrainian youth. These efforts are crucial in closing educational gaps and fostering a resilient, skilled workforce that will be key to Ukraine’s future growth. By investing in education today, Teach For Ukraine and its partners aim to lay a strong foundation for the nation’s long-term economic development and global integration.

Approach

This approach provides for a two-year timeline designed to ensure the successful implementation and scaling of the Learning Recovery Program for Ukraine, with the National Tutoring Corps initiative at its core.

The Learning Recovery Program will offer services through regularly scheduled sessions during school hours, after-school tutoring with both in-person and online options, field schools, and intensive summer programs designed to prevent learning loss and prepare students for the upcoming academic year. In addition to direct tutoring, Teach For Ukraine will provide capacity-building support, including workshops, mentoring programs, and access to essential educational resources and technology for school leaders, teachers, and students.
To achieve this, Teach For Ukraine will engage in several key activities:
Recruiting well-qualified academic mentors to ensure that tutoring is effective and meets the highest educational standards.
Providing core funding to schools to facilitate the integration of tutoring services and remove financial barriers.
Placing high-quality tutors in schools to deliver personalized learning experiences.
Providing training for school-led tutors to enhance their skills and ensure they are well-prepared to support students effectively.
Offering capacity-building support to any school that requires it, thereby strengthening the overall educational framework and ensuring sustainability.
Potential challenges include logistical constraints in reaching remote and war-affected areas and scaling quality interventions on a national level in unpredictable conditions. Overcoming these obstacles will require coordinated efforts, flexible resource allocation, and continuous evaluation to respond effectively to changing circumstances.

Teach For Ukraine will leverage its unique experience of successfully conducting the first Randomized Control Trial (RCT) in Ukraine’s education space. As the first organization to initiate catch-up education during the war, TFU has a deep understanding of the challenges and needs associated with educational recovery. Its innovative approach has been recognized with an award in the “Education for Wellbeing” category from Ukraine’s national education media.

Action Plan

Teach For Ukraine is committed to establishing the National Tutoring Corps by recruiting and training at least 500 tutors in the program’s first year, with plans to scale based on demand. These tutors, including Teach For Ukraine alumni, university students, and other qualified individuals, will support 10,000 primary and secondary school students aged 8 to 17 in the first year, expanding to 30,000 students by the second year.
Year 1
The program will launch in the first quarter with a recruitment campaign for tutors in January, followed by developing core funding guidelines for schools in February and placing tutors by March. In the second quarter, the focus will shift to training school-led tutors in April, disbursing the first round of funding in May, and conducting initial impact evaluations in June.
The third quarter will expand tutor recruitment to additional regions and subjects in July, conduct a mid-term program review in August, and hold specialized training workshops in September. The year will conclude with capacity-building workshops in October, a second funding round in November, and a comprehensive year-end assessment in December.
Year 2
The second year will begin by scaling up tutor placements in January, advancing tutor training in February, and launching a mentorship program in March. The second quarter will focus on providing targeted support to underperforming schools, with a third funding round in May and a mid-year evaluation in June.
In the third quarter, the program will enhance digital tutoring platforms in July, conduct leadership training in August, and expand educational partnerships in September. The final quarter will focus on sustainability with a comprehensive program report in October, a fourth funding round in November, and a national educational equity conference in December.

Background

The Learning Recovery Program for Ukraine is designed to address significant educational challenges caused by nearly five years of disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic followed by the impacts of war.
These consecutive crises have resulted in profound learning losses among Ukrainian children, particularly in essential subjects like the Ukrainian language, reading, and mathematics. Further compounding the issue, recent PISA survey results reveal that rural students face a nearly five-year reading gap, four years in science, and over four and a half years in math compared to their urban counterparts. The combined effects of school closures, the transition to remote learning, and ongoing war have not only hindered academic progress but also affected students’ psychological and social well-being.
In response, the program aims to implement a robust national infrastructure to systematically address these learning losses. The primary goal is to provide targeted, personalized tutoring across all major subjects to students who have been most affected by these disruptions, with a strong psycho-social support component.
Furthermore, the initiative seeks to build and strengthen the educational infrastructure within Ukraine, ensuring that both urban and rural areas have equal access to quality tutoring resources. This includes training and deploying a network of qualified tutors, utilizing digital platforms to reach a wider audience, and establishing monitoring systems to track progress and adapt strategies as needed.
Overall, this learning recovery is essential for Ukraine’s postwar rebuild. By addressing educational gaps now, we are laying the foundation for a skilled and knowledgeable workforce that will drive the country’s future growth and development.

Progress Update

Partnership Opportunities

TFU requires funding to expand its tech-based tutoring programs, train and deploy more tutors in schools, and develop the necessary infrastructure to reach remote and war-affected areas. Financial resources will also support the integration of socio-emotional components, ensuring holistic student development. Media coverage will help raise global awareness about the urgent educational needs in Ukraine, attract additional funding, and build a broader support network, enabling the organization to reach more students in need., Teach For Ukraine will leverage its experience from conducting the first-ever Randomized Control Trial (RCT) in Ukraine’s education sector, providing proven best practices and expert guidance in tech-based tutoring and addressing learning losses. Our expertise includes curriculum design, socio-emotional support integration, comprehensive tutor training programs, recruitment and training of tutors, and the use of advanced digital platforms for personalized tutoring.