15 Mar 2022
Cambridge University Press & Assessment continues to condemn the Russian Federation’s violent actions in Ukraine. We are passionate about our mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research around the world. This unjustified conflict has raised serious ethical questions as well as operational challenges to achieving our mission in the region.
Many of the centres in Ukraine that support our learners have been converted into refuges for local residents, but we have seen evidence that schools and other places of learning have been either accidentally hit or deliberately targeted by Russian forces – such activity is deplorable. We have been in regular contact with our colleagues in the country to understand what action we should be taking. They tell us that it is currently impossible to support our learners in the country without asking individuals to put their lives at risk. We will, therefore, continue to pause our physical operations in Ukraine, hoping that these can be swiftly restarted when circumstances allow. Our online products and services remain available to all those who can access them, and we will continue to accept new learners where possible. We are also actively reviewing how else we can support our colleagues and their families, our learners, and all other citizens within Ukraine and those who have had to leave the country.
Education has the power to unlock the potential of individuals, enrich communities and develop nations, and we want to continue to provide those opportunities where we believe it is right to do so. We have taken the decision to suspend all new activity in Russia while the conflict continues. We will continue to honour our existing commitments to support learners based in Russia to complete the studies and assessments they have already started while it is safe, legal and operationally possible to do so. Gaining the skills, knowledge and behaviours that will allow our learners to positively influence their friends, families and wider societies is in everybody’s interest.
Our thoughts continue to be with all those affected by these unconscionable events.