Two years of war in Ukraine; still no good access to education in the Netherlands 

Since 2022, more than 100.000 Ukrainians have been granted temporary status in the Netherlands based on the European Temporary Protection Directive (RTB). Access to education is (still) insufficiently included within this scheme. Together with educational umbrella organizations, the UAF has repeatedly drawn attention to this in The Hague politicians.  

If Ukrainians want to study here, they face major obstacles. For example, they often have to pay institutional tuition fees instead of the statutory tuition fees. This saves thousands of euros. In addition, Ukrainian students are not entitled to student financing. These obstacles make following a course in the Netherlands very difficult. The UAF believes that financial barriers should never stand in the way of access to education. 

Initially it was assumed that Ukrainians would be temporarily accommodated here. But we now know that the end of the war is not yet in sight. It is important to give people the opportunity to express themselves continue to develop and not come to a standstill in the Netherlands. This contributes to finding suitable work at a high level. Because, despite the fact that many Ukrainians work in the Netherlands, this is often not at their own level, according to the results from the study 'High labor participation of Ukrainian refugees but often below level' published by ESB. In many cases they end up in temporary jobs in the catering industry or cleaning. The UAF believes that this does not do justice to the talents of these refugees.     

It is essential that national financial provisions are made to remove barriers to education for Ukrainian refugees. The UAF, together with educational institutions, educational umbrella organizations and refugee organizations, is committed to reducing barriers to access to education for all refugees, including from Ukraine.