Standing with Teachers in Ukraine: Lessons in Resilience and Renewal

As Andreas Schleicher writes in his recent OECD Education Today article, How Ukraine’s educational renewal is a lesson to us all, Ukraine’s educators are not just keeping learning alive in the midst of war, they are reimagining what it can be. Reading his reflections, having been in the company of those very teachers in Lviv, I felt the truth of his every word.

I also had the privilege of attending, alongside Andreas, the teacher festival, Teachers of the Future, in Lviv organized by NGO Osvitoria. This event was filled with energy, courage, and hope. As Andreas Schleicher reminded us, Ukraine’s educators show the world how resilience and innovation can keep learning alive, even in the hardest times. In moments of crisis, learning itself becomes a source of strength and hope—something that builds a sustainable future and is always worth defending.

Nothing can truly prepare you for the atmosphere of a room full of educators who have been teaching through war. These are professionals who carry both the weight of their own many losses and the hope of their communities. Their dedication is an act of resistance and a promise to their students that learning will not be taken away. What strikes us as visitors is the professionalism, curiosity, sense of sharing, hope, resilience, and strength, and the profound commitment to their students, even when finding the energy for such a heavy task seems almost impossible.