Primary schools struggle with the language barrier between Ukrainian children and teachers. They therefore urgently need interpreters, but they are not so easy to find. De Toren primary school in Zevenbergen, among others, is calling on interpreters and translators to come forward.
There are forty children from Ukraine at the school in Zevenbergen. They pick up the Dutch language quickly, but their vocabulary is still too limited to properly explain what is going on inside them. “While meaningful communication with these children is important,” explains director Joke van Sliedregt.
“Teachers use Google Translate.”
In the morning, the Ukrainian students, with the exception of the toddlers, receive language lessons together. They express themselves through drawings and games, among other things. Joke: “Teachers also use the Google Translate translation app, but you don’t really get to the core with that.”
The school director is referring to the traumatic experiences such as bombings that children have sometimes experienced. Interpreters can help students to talk about it whenever they want. It is important for teachers to know exactly what the students have been through.
“The school immediately felt like a safe place.”
At primary school De Springplank in Fijnaart they can discuss this. The school receives daily help from a volunteer from the village who speaks both Ukrainian and Dutch fluently. “As a result, the school immediately felt like a safe place for the ten children we take in,” explains director Judith van Wesenbeeck.
She continues: “We are lucky with her. Children can tell what is on their mind in their own language. They feel heard and if necessary, we can refer them more quickly to trauma processing. You should actually do that from day one.”
“We need help.”
Professional interpreters are hardly available, but the large group of Ukrainian refugees increasingly rely on them. Later this week, West Brabant school leaders will discuss how they can jointly solve this problem.
Nevertheless, school director Joke van Sliedregt hopes that someone will already report: “We need your help!”