Learning losses refer to any gaps in knowledge, skills, or competencies, as well as slowdowns or interruptions in students’ academic progress caused by breaks in their learning.
Concerns about learning loss first became widespread after the global COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures in most countries. According to UNESCO, by April 2020, schools in 191 countries — home to 90% of the world’s population — were shut down. This posed an enormous challenge for education systems everywhere.
Since February 24, 2022, many Ukrainian students have still been unable to return to in-person learning. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science (January 2023), over 1,300 out of 12,926 general secondary education institutions were damaged, and around 300 schools were destroyed.
Even in relatively safe regions, students’ face-to-face or hybrid learning continues to be regularly interrupted by air raid alerts, power outages, and a lack of heating during the cold season.
The war in Ukraine also negatively affects the mental and emotional well-being of children, parents, and teachers. During times of conflict, cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and information processing decrease. Research shows that Ukrainian schoolchildren have experienced more than three years of learning losses due to COVID-19 and the war. The methods used by the Educational Soup program are among the strategies to overcome these losses.
Within the program, we invite children to participate in free 8-week online tutoring sessions, 45 minutes each, covering school subjects with both tutor and mentor support. These sessions help children catch up on knowledge and receive socio-emotional support throughout their participation.
Children can choose math or Ukrainian language tutoring with tutors, or mentoring sessions in Ukrainian history, physics, chemistry, biology, English, Ukrainian language, math, geography, or computer science with mentors.
Program Features:
- Socio-emotional support for children in small groups;
- Academic tutoring and mentoring for students who, due to the war, often lack regular contact with their homeroom teacher, favorite teacher, or other trusted adults;
- Assistance with mastering core school subjects.
Your child can participate If they:
- are currently studying in grades 5 through 11;
- Reside at the time of registration or have IDP status from one of the following regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Luhansk, or Donetsk;
- Have the desire or need to “catch up” in the school subjects selected during registration;
- Can connect to the internet during lessons using a device (computer, phone, tablet).
What does a participant in the Educational SUPport program get?
- Learning in small groups;
- A focus on developing their cognitive engagement, creative and critical thinking;
- Tutor and mentor support aimed at developing specific skills of the participants;
- Tutors and mentors work together with children to choose the topics they want to study and the pace of learning;
- Deepening knowledge and fostering student curiosity in particular scientific fields.
What do we mean by tutoring and mentoring support?
Tutoring and mentoring are forms of academic support that involve individual or small-group sessions designed to help students improve understanding and performance in a specific subject or area of study. The primary goal is to provide personalized attention and guidance to students who may struggle with certain concepts or skills.
Tutors are experienced teachers who have received additional training in tutoring methods. Mentors are young people who have also undergone training and serve as role models and guides, helping students navigate the learning process by sharing their own experience.
