Overall, 3.9 mn schoolchildren started studies this year in Ukraine, deputy Education Minister Andriy Vitrenko said. However, not all of them will be coming to classes in school.
After Russia’s 24 February invasion, studying in schools stopped and many of them were converted to centers for hosting IDPs. Lessons were, however, continued online. After 1 September, most schoolchildren in Ukraine will continue online studies.
Education Minister Serhiy Shkarlet informed that 1,782,000 (45%) schoolchildren will study only in the online format, 864,500 (22%) will attend lessons in schools, and 1,252,000 (32%) will study in a mixed format: part of the lessons will be held online, and another part – in the school.
3540 schools will work fully offline, 3870 will have a mixed format of studies, and 5497 will work only offline, Shkarlet said.
Schools with on-site lessons must be equipped with a bomb shelter that can accommodate all the students and teachers present in the school. Students and teachers will move to the bomb shelter if an aid alarm is issued, meaning there is a risk of a missile strike.
Ultimately, the format of studies is determined by the region where the school is located. Local authorities and school management decide whether the format of studies will be on-site or online depending on the security situation. Particularly, in oblasts with a high risk of Russian missile strikes such as Kharkiv Oblast, children will only attend online lessons from home.
