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Global e-learning platform launched in Poland to support inclusion of refugees and mental health of all pupils

Poland becomes first country to launch Microsoft and UNICEF's e-learning tool specifically for teachers working with refugee children

28 June 2023
UNICEF
UNICEF

The Learning Passport, an e-learning platform from Microsoft and UNICEF, was launched today to support the inclusive education of refugees in the Polish school system. Poland becomes the first country globally to launch a version of the tool specifically for teachers, with courses on managing stress, cross-cultural communication and working with children from Ukraine who are suffering from the trauma of war.

Launched in 2018 and now present in 32 countries, Learning Passport enables children and young people, including those in displaced or crisis-affected communities, to access quality inclusive education and build the skills they need for a brighter future.

Learning Passport will be implemented in Poland by the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science and the SOK Foundation. Representatives from these organizations took part in a launch event today in Warsaw with education experts from Poland and Ukraine, as well as teachers, students and the media.

“The chance to learn and be in a safe space together with peers and teachers doesn’t just deliver education, it brings a crucial sense of stability, normalcy and hope to war-affected children and young people,” said Rashed Mustafa Sarwar, Country Coordinator, UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland. “I am thrilled that Learning Passport in Poland will help teachers gain the necessary skills to work with and support a multicultural class, ensuring that all refugee children in Poland can learn and thrive.”

The Learning Passport courses were created by experts in the field of Digital Learning Design from UNICEF and trainers cooperating with the SOK Foundation. Modern teaching methods, interactive exercises and high-quality video materials make the courses platform stand out for their quality and comprehensiveness. Access to the platform and all courses is free of charge and available in Polish, Ukrainian and English.

“There is at least one Ukrainian refugee in one out of every three classes in Poland. Therefore, many teachers need to improve their skills in multicultural communication and fostering an inclusive classroom, as well as diagnosing and reacting to difficult emotions and recognizing situations that could warrant specialized interventions”, said Francesco Calcagno, Chief of Education at the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland. "The Learning Passport platform offers a range of courses that respond to these needs of teachers.”

The courses available on the Learning Passport platform are designed not only to build teachers' psychosocial skills and their ability to work with a multicultural class, but also to advance their professional development. After completing the course, teachers will receive a certificate approved by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science.

"The Learning Passport project is a noteworthy e-learning platform in Poland designed to support teachers in inclusive education for refugee children and enable them to have a better future. The platform is connected to the Integrated Educational Platform (ZPE) within its structure. This connection provides unlimited space for e-learning tools, free supplementary materials for students and teachers from all school subjects, as well as aspects of transparency and functionality for users.” says Mateusz Rafał, Director of the Digital Transformation Center at the Ministry of Education and Science. "Through tools such as the Learning Passport, the government program Future Laboratories, and the newly created portal specifically tailored to current digital needs - edukacja.gov.pl - we are taking further steps to ensure high-quality education and develop the skills necessary for building a better future for children and youth. In particular, the Learning Passport project focuses on including displaced and crisis-affected communities. This is a milestone that will allow thousands of children to receive support and opportunities for education, regardless of their background or history. I would like to thank all the education experts, teachers, students, and the media for participating in this significant inaugural event."

“Thanks to the introduction of the Learning Passport platform for teachers in Poland, our courses have a chance to reach an even larger audience. The first pilot trainings and workshops that we have been conducting since April are very popular, and the feedback we receive from teachers participating in them confirms that psychosocial skills development is very much needed in Poland,” says Iga Pietrusińska, Member of the Management Board of the SOK Foundation and Coordinator of the Learning Passport project.

All courses available on the Learning Passport platform can be completed at every teacher’s own pace or teachers can sign up for one-day workshops to practice and exchange experiences with other teachers. There is also a three-week "Calm Head" training conducted by experienced trainers. The Learning Passport offer will be regularly updated and adapted to the evolving needs of teachers, children and young people.

In 2023, UNICEF aims to train 8900 teachers and educators in Learning Passport who will reach 200,000 children in Poland. Around 180,000 refugee children from Ukraine now attend Polish schools and preschools. In more than 85,000 classes there is at least one refugee student.

Registration for the Learning Passport courses: https://ukraine.learningpassport.unicef.org/

More on the Learning Passport platform: https://www.szkolenia.learningpassport.pl/

Media contacts

Monika Kacprzak
Communication Specialist
UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland
Tel: (+48) 604 226 866
Hugh Reilly
Chief of Communication
UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland
Tel: +48 783 896 843

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