Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Serhii Shkarlet met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland to Ukraine Mr. Jaakko Lehtovirta.

The parties discussed the further cooperation between the countries and support for Ukrainian children, teachers and education issues in general.

Serhii Shkarlet reminded that the Finnish side in the framework of the EU program "EU4Skills: Better Skills for Modern Ukraine" in 2022 had provided an additional EUR 1,500,000 to purchase textbooks, modern laboratories and other necessary equipment for practical classes, etc. for vocational education institutions.

In 2023, the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) is expected to offer financial support to vocational education in Ukraine in the amount of EUR 65,000.

In addition, Mr. Jaakko Lehtovirta informed about the provision of 15 buses to educational institutions, to be sent to the regions with the largest number of internally displaced persons.

The parties considered practical aspects of the implementation of the Agreement between the Governments of Finland and Ukraine on the continuation of the project "Learning Together", support for the implementation of the reform "New Ukrainian School" and vocational education.

"Our cooperation will not only continue the reform of education, but will also contribute to the post-war reconstruction of the sector in general. I am grateful for the unwavering support for Ukraine, our citizens, in particular children and teachers!" Serhii Shkarlet said.

It should be reminded that the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic adopted the Comenius Declaration on russian aggression in Ukraine.