Ukrainian students start school underground

However, parents have considered this a safe solution for their children to study normally.

The first day of school in Ukraine on September 1st was marked by a special image: Children in Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, began the new school year in underground schools. After three years of education interrupted by the war, many parents saw this as the only solution for their children to have a somewhat normal education.

Ukraine officially started the new school year on September 1. In the city of Kharkiv, more than 17,000 students will study in seven underground schools, some of which are located three floors below ground. The city government said three more facilities will be put into use soon.

In addition, six metro stations will be converted into classrooms, creating a safe environment for thousands of Ukrainian students. The city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said underground schools were the most important option to maintain education amid the severe impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. He said a school in the Nova Saltivka district welcomed 1,500 students on the first day of school, demonstrating the great need in the community.

For families, the underground school is a necessary model. “I feel more secure knowing that my child is sitting in what is considered the deepest classroom in Kharkiv,” said Anastasia Pochergina, mother of a first-grader. “The simple joy is that my child can go to school like other children, even though everyday life is still far away.”

The underground classrooms are equipped with desks, chairs, a library, a gym and a food pantry. Children participate in activities such as drawing, singing, playing sports and making new friends.

By the end of 2025, some 200 underground schools will be built across Ukraine. The projects are spread across Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Chernihiv and Sumy. Some schools, with capacity for up to a thousand students, were built in just half a year.

This is an urgent response to the fact that more than 4,000 educational facilities have been destroyed or damaged. To date, more than 1,300 facilities have been restored and hundreds more are in the process of being rebuilt.

In addition to infrastructure, the Ukrainian government also focuses on improving the quality of school meals. Adequate nutrition and healthy learning conditions are considered essential for children to develop during wartime.

In parallel with the school construction, many community engagement programs were also implemented. One of them was the national sports tournament “Shoulder to Shoulder: All-Ukraine School Leagues”, which attracted more than 700,000 students from 9,000 schools. About 40,000 teams competed in seven different sports.

The Ukrainian government considers the development of underground schools a pillar of its recovery strategy. At the “Education for a New Ukraine” forum, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction Oleksii Kuleba affirmed: “During my visits, the first demand that people shared was ‘restore schools’. As long as there are schools, there is a community, because they not only impart knowledge but also create solidarity and hope.”

According to Reuters

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/hoc-sinh-ukraine-khai-giang-duoi-long-dat-post747133.html