Some Ukrainian children who came to Iceland as refugees said they were unable to enroll in school because their parents did not have electronic IDs or were unable to find permanent housing. RÚV reports. About 1,500 refugees have come to Iceland from Ukraine since the civil war began, and that number is expected to rise to 4,000 by the end of the year.
One of the biggest challenges faced by Ukrainian families arriving in Iceland is finding housing. Temporary housing will be provided upon arrival, but you will need to find permanent housing on your own. Not having a permanent address affects access to services.
“By local government rules, children who do not have a permanent address here in Iceland will be denied admission to the school system wherever they happen to be,” said Svein, who runs a shelter for refugees in the capital. Runal Sigurdsson explained the range. Sveinn says that even with the current number of refugees, let alone 4,000 for him, it is difficult to find housing for everyone who needs it.
A Ukrainian mother, Natalia, who spoke with reporters, said her 12-year-old daughter had not been given a place in the school system because she did not have an electronic ID. She said, “We are in temporary housing. We can stay [there] Until October 13th. We came here with Ukrainian passports, but she does not have an electronic ID, so we cannot enroll her in the school. She wants to go to school and she is very worried, ”said Natalia.
Another Ukrainian woman, Nadia, said her child was accepted into a school in Hafnarfjordur after a lengthy waiting period. She worries about her son, who does not yet speak Icelandic, but she has faith in the Icelandic school system.
15-year-old Tina from Ukraine will soon start school at the junior college Menntaskólinn í Hamrahlíð. She said she is excited to meet Icelandic children her age and experience her new method of teaching.
A post on housing shortages affecting access to schools for Ukrainian children in Iceland first appeared in Iceland Review.
