Russian occupiers destroyed 180 schools to the ground

Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi said that the Russian occupiers had completely destroyed 180 schools, and that more than 1,300 educational institutions had been damaged or destroyed.

He said this at a press conference on the occasion of the announcement of the competitive selection of communities that will participate in the DECIDE project initiative.

"Today we have 180 schools alone that have been destroyed to the ground. More than 300 educational institutions have been destroyed, more than 1000 educational institutions have been damaged and are subject to examination, whether they can be rebuilt or not," said Lisovyi.

The minister reminded that the government has allocated UAH 1.5 billion to equip shelters for the new school year. According to him, three quarters of schools are equipped with shelters of different levels and quality.

"75% of schools are equipped with shelters, but this does not mean that 75% of students can return to school. This is about 9,000 schools, out of a total of 13,000 schools. The return of students is a priority for us, and we are returning to school wherever possible for security reasons. In the regions close to the combat zone, classes will be held online," said Lisovyi.

He added that the Ministry of Education and Science recommends that universities return to offline education in compliance with security requirements to improve the quality of education. According to the head of the ministry, many higher education institutions have the architecture to build shelters, but not all of them can accommodate all students.

Another problem, according to Lisovyi, is the migration of teachers, which can also create obstacles to the resumption of classroom education. Therefore, as the minister added, the management of higher education institutions will independently decide on the resumption of offline education.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 27/07/2023