Over two-fifths of Ukrainian children in Ireland are attending two schools of education, one in their native language and one in English, a new survey has found.
On Tuesday Ukrainian Action in Ireland (UACT), a not-for-profit, published its second survey of integration of Ukrainians in the State, which looked at health, education, accommodation and general wellbeing.
The survey, which was conducted through an online questionnaire, interviewed a total of 7,938 Ukrainians, comprising of 4,273 adults and 3,665 children – representing around 10 per cent of the Ukrainian population in Ireland.
It found that 80 per cent of children are happy, with rates higher among those who are only attending one school. Some 56 per cent of five- to 17-year-olds are in one school, while 43 per cent are attending two.
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The main challenge for children in Ireland is language, with 57 per cent of respondents citing it as a difficulty.
For adults housing is the biggest challenge, though respondents are overall highly satisfied with provided accommodation.
The percentage of people renting housing at market price has increased by seven percentage points to 8 per cent when compared to the first survey in May 2022, when just 1 per cent of Ukrainians were in this accommodation type.
Around 10 per cent of respondents are now residing in housing provided by a host family. One survey respondent said: “Everything is great compared to living in a war zone. But we stay with our hosts for more than a year now and we feel that we need to move on – and we have nowhere to go.”
At this point 41 per cent plan to stay in Ireland for a long time, 25.5 per cent would like to return to Ukraine and 32 per cent – a third overall – of respondents have not made the final decision whether to stay in Ireland or return to Ukraine.
For those who are eager to return home and who have not decided yet, the main condition would be primarily cessation of hostilities followed by availability of work in Ukraine.
Those who reported being proficient in Ireland were more likely to say they would like to stay than those who said they do not have a good level of English.
Olena Redrugina, founding director of UACT and survey team leader, said the survey was a “way to give a voice” to refugees in Ireland.
“The second survey allowed us to go deeper into the topics that are crucial for smooth integration of people in a new country, such as progress in language studies and employment, education, health and wellbeing of children,” she said. “We are especially glad to learn that 97 per cent of people feel safe and 80 per cent of Ukrainian children are happy to be in Ireland.”
Speaking at the launch of the survey, the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, said the findings would help “to see the problems our compatriots face and how best we can help them”.
“Thank you to the Irish people, Irish Government and all organisations for your help, support and assistance of Ukrainians here,” she added.
