Ukrainian students to represent Cork in competition with book on language of their country

Four transition year students from Coláiste Pobail Naomh Mhuire in Buttevant have reached the finals of Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship to take place next week

From left: Kostiantyn Mazur, Kostiantyn Polomanna, Alina Avramenko and Mykhailo Yakovenko. Picture: David Creedon

The prospect of striking up a conversation when starting school in a new country where you are unfamiliar with the language is daunting.

It’s a situation more than 15,000 Ukrainian students have faced as they enrolled in Irish schools across the country. It's also an initial hurdle faced by many schools, who want their new students to feel welcome despite any communication gaps.