Six months on from the outbreak of war, Ukraine’s children are preparing for a new academic year, while the armed forces fight a Russian offensive in the east and the country’s economy is in tatters. As schools prepare to open their doors in September, many educators are struggling with the fact that they are unable to provide safety for students or peace of mind for parents if their schools are attacked. Child victims: At least 972 children have been killed or injured since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, according to UNICEF. A June survey by the Ukrainian government estimated that 5.7 million children between the ages of 3 and 18 have been affected by the war, while 2.8 million are estimated to be internally displaced. Impact on schools: The fighting has damaged 2,300 of Ukraine’s 17,000 schools, according to education officials. About 59 percent of all schools and universities will not be ready to resume in-person classes in September, Education Minister Serhiy Shkarlet said, and no one knows how many students will attend in-person classes. The war has also caused a brain drain of teachers, with 22,000 of Ukraine’s 434,000 teachers (most of whom are women) having fled the country, while many more remain internally displaced, he added. “The academic year will be very difficult,” Khorbachev said. “It will start in unpredictable and very difficult conditions, when in fact there is no safe place in Ukraine, since (Russian) missiles can hit anywhere.” Read the full story here.
