First five underground schools to be built in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine approved a plan for the construction of the first five underground schools in the oblast. Kharkiv was the first Ukrainian city where the concept of underground schools was introduced to ensure offline education despite regular Russian attacks. Zaporizhzhia Oblast border with the frontline and as well as Kharkiv suffer from frequent Russian strikes. Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov said on 1 May that the total state subvention amounts to up to 500 million hryvnias ($12.6 million).

"We plan the first 3 schools in Zaporizhzhia, 2 in Zaporizhzhia district. They will serve as an educational platform for children from several districts of the regional center and several settlements in the oblast."

This week officials reportedaly will announce the first tenders for construction. The official cites the goal as "to enable all children who wish to, to return to offline education. Overall, we envision 10 underground schools in the long run." Some 81% of students in front-line regions learn online rather than in physical classrooms, the Ukrainian polling agency Vox Populi reported. Deputy Education Minister Yevhen Kudriavets said that over 3,500 educational institutions were damaged due to the Russian full-scale invasion as of February 2024. Related:

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