Ireland Considering Turning Churches into Schools for Ukrainian Children

People pass a mural of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, by the artist Phil Atkins
Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images
Peter Caddle

The government in Ireland is examining the possibility of repurposing churches for the purpose of educating Ukrainian children.

Internal documents penned by the Department of Education in Ireland have reportedly revealed that the government is examining the possibility of teaching Ukrainian children in churches should local school places not be available, a report on Thursday has claimed.

It comes as the country — which has employed a radical open borders strategy to deal with the ongoing influx of both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian migrants — struggles to handle a major wave of new arrivals, with officials repeatedly being warned that their way of dealing with the crisis is “unsustainable“.

According to a report by the Irish Times, while the internal documents prioritise having Ukrainian children educated within regular schooling facilities in the country, it acknowledges that demand may outstrip supply in certain areas as the influx from abroad continues.

As a consequence, the document claims that the department is looking at requisitioning churches, along with hotels and community centres, as places where such children who cannot access the Irish school system directly can be taught.

“This may not be required in some cases if there is sufficient space in local existing schools, but it would be good contingency planning to incorporate it as the default position and could help ensure faster access to education and language supports,” the internal document reportedly states.

It goes on to state that, while the department should “remain committed to providing an integrated education as soon as possible”, having refugee children taught together within such repurposed buildings would solve certain logistical issues, such as the transporting of Ukrainian children to and from educational facilities.

With the population of the Irish state consisting of roughly only 5 million people, the huge influx of both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian migrants over the last year has had a sizable impact on both the country’s infrastructure and social sphere, with many individuals across the country feeling the impact of the new arrivals.

According to data released by Ireland’s Central Statistics Office, as of the week ending December 11, 2022, there were 67,448 arrivals from Ukraine in the country.

Of this number, around 34 per cent — or just under 23,000 people — were aged from 0-19, with 13,500 individuals being enrolled in primary and secondary schools throughout the country.

On top of this figure, the country saw just short of 14,000 asylum seekers enter the country who do not claim to be Ukrainian, a 20-year record for the country.

Such a large number of arrivals — largely encouraged by ruling politicians within the country — has put significant strain on Ireland’s infrastructure, with officials repeatedly being warned last year that their approach to letting in a limitless number of foreign migrants was “unsustainable”.

Despite this, such an open borders approach looks set to continue in 2023, with the Irish Times reporting that the country’s Department of Integration is at risk of buckling under the pressure of ever more arrivals, with the country’s near-complete lack of housing also making it extremely difficult to properly care for those who seek refuge.

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