In a poignant ceremony to commence the new school year in Kyiv, Ukraine on September 1, 2023, first graders proudly sang the national anthem. However, this joyful occasion was juxtaposed with the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine. As the country grappled with unprecedented challenges, including the threat of Russian missiles and drones, Ukrainian children embarked on their second consecutive school year during wartime.
To ensure the safety of students, some classrooms were relocated to underground shelters, while others prepared for the possibility of seeking refuge in bomb shelters. The devastating effects of Russia’s invasion, coupled with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, forced many children to continue their education online for the fourth consecutive year. The UN Children’s Fund reported that 1,300 schools have been completely destroyed by Russian air attacks since President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion in February 2022. Furthermore, numerous other schools have suffered varying degrees of damage.
In a positive development, Education Minister Oksen Lisovyi revealed that 84% of schools now have operational shelters. This offers some measure of comfort to parents like Mariia Doloban, whose 8-year-old son, Oleksii, is attending a new school in Kyiv. She expressed relief that her son now has access to a proper bomb shelter, ensuring his safety during air raid sirens. Many families, like Doloban’s, had become refugees, seeking safety elsewhere. However, they have since returned to Ukraine, recognizing that the situation at home, although challenging, is preferable to the difficulties they faced abroad. In foreign lands, their children either grappled with remote learning or struggled to adapt to local schools.
Doloban shared her son’s experience of feeling lost in a Greek school during their time as refugees in Thessaloniki in April 2022. Oleksii often found the classes boring and struggled to comprehend the lessons. After an arduous year of relocating within Ukraine, Doloban now resides on the outskirts of the capital. Despite his concerns about starting school, Oleksii participated in a welcome ceremony on his first day, joining his peers in lively dances. Meanwhile, 6-year-old Ulas Kyrychenko, who spent part of the war as a refugee in Germany, eagerly anticipated learning about how the sea creates waves and making new friends at his Kyiv school. His mother, Klarysa Kyrychenko, deliberately chose a school with an old building and a basement bomb shelter, fully aware that the conflict would continue.
In the city of Kharkiv, where missiles from Russia could reach within a minute, authorities devised an innovative solution for getting children back into school. They transformed ornate Soviet-era metro stations into classrooms, some with the added luxury of chandeliers hanging above colonnaded platforms. Mayor Ihor Terekhov revealed that over 1,000 children would be able to attend in-person classes in the 60 schoolrooms created within the metro stations. This development was welcomed by parents, who believed it would provide children the opportunity to socialize and communicate. However, not everyone supported the plan, with some parents prioritizing their children’s safety and opting for online classes.
Despite the challenges imposed by the ongoing conflict, Ukrainian children, with resilience and determination, embraced the start of another school year. Their unwavering spirit was evident as they sang the national anthem and joined in welcoming ceremonies, demonstrating their unwavering desire for a brighter future in the face of adversity.
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