As the new school year begins on Friday, the 1st of September, yet Ukrainian teachers, children and parents still face the constant threat of Russian air strikes. Ukrainian authorities report that more than 360 educational institutions have been destroyed and more than 3 000 damaged during the conflict, writes BBC.
Russia and Amnesty International have accused Ukraine of using schools as military bases, but Kyiv has called the allegations “disinformation and propaganda”.
The threat of Russian air strikes means many Ukrainian students will study remotely.
Local authorities will determine whether it is possible to study in person based on the security situation and the existence of bomb shelters in each region.
In Kharkiv, a city that is frequently attacked because of its proximity to the Russian border, the training will mainly be conducted remotely. To facilitate secure face-to-face education,
the authorities have set up 60 classrooms in metro underground stations, which can hold more than 1 000 pupils.
Deputy Education Minister Andriy Stashkiv has indicated to BBC that about one-sixth of Ukrainian schools will operate remotely – less than last year.
Around 80 000 pupils from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine will take part in distance education
because of the threat and security risks. The curriculum is tailored to war conditions and includes mandatory mine safety training involving Patron, a popular mine-sniffing dog, to raise awareness of the dangers of unexploded ammunition.
The quality of education for Ukrainian children has been severely affected. The UN children’s agency Unicef says there are widespread learning difficulties among Ukrainian children, including deteriorating results in Ukrainian language, reading and maths.
Kostyantyn Samiylo, the head of the Perspektyva school in Zaporizhzhia says that d
distance education, which started in Spring 2020, since the introduction of Covid restrictions, poses challenges, including in the areas of motivation and knowledge assessment.
However, safety remains a top priority for teachers, officials, and parents in Ukraine.
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