First ladies and gentlemen summit to focus on education — Olena Zelenska

Espreso correspondent Kateryna Halko reported the information.

The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, says that this year’s Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kyiv will welcome a record number of guests. For security reasons, the exact number and the list of countries whose representatives will attend are not being disclosed at this time.

“This year, I will have the pleasant opportunity to meet two First Ladies who have not yet been to Kyiv for our summit. So I hope everything will go as planned,” Zelenska noted.

The theme of this year’s summit is education — Education that Shapes the World.

“This year we are talking about education. We understand the role that education plays in the sustainable development of the world, in achieving peace. It is the fundamental basis that forms the future of the world. Everything happening in the world can be adjusted for decades ahead precisely through education. First and foremost, we are speaking about access to education. And not only about physical access to the learning environment, but also access to a high-quality learning environment,” commented Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi.

Olena Zelenska explained that each year the summit’s theme is chosen to be important for Ukraine as well as interesting and relevant for all the guests.

“If we have our own specific challenges in organizing the education process due to the war, then other countries face different challenges. These include equal access to education and the inability to obtain quality education, among others. Therefore, we gather not only First Ladies, but also the ministers of education from their countries, as well as experts in education, science, and pedagogy. And this year we have special guests — teachers,” the First Lady announced.

Oksen Lisovyi added that during the summit, discussions will cover school networks, the content of education, and how schools are equipped and supplied.

“But most importantly — we are speaking about the teacher. The key element, without which all other investments do not work. This is why the decision was made to invite teachers here and place a special focus on how teachers think, the worldview basis they form, and the value system they implement when working with children,” the Minister of Education shared.

The First Lady of Ukraine also noted that guests will be introduced to school meals. The food court will operate using the recipes and technologies currently applied in schools.