Russia has destroyed 180 schools and damaged over 1,300 educational institutions in Ukraine

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian troops have destroyed 180 schools in Ukraine.

The Minister of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, announced this at a press conference about the competitive selection of communities participating in the DECIDE project initiative, Ukrinform reports.

According to Lisovyi, over 1,300 educational institutions in Ukraine were destroyed and damaged. More than 300 educational institutions were destroyed, and more than 1,000 were damaged and are subject to examination.

The minister said the government allocated UAH 1.5 billion to construct shelters before the new school year. According to him, three-quarters of schools are equipped with shelters of various levels and quality.

"75% of schools are equipped with shelters, but this does not mean 75% of students can return to school. These are about 9,000 schools. In total, we have 13,000 schools,"  said Lisovyi. "For us, the return of students is a priority. We return to education where possible for safety reasons. In the regions that are close to the war zone, the education will take place online."

As previously reported by Rubryka, the initiative of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project to rebuild destroyed schools in Ukraine was launched in Ukraine, during which it is planned to repair and equip shelters in 25 community schools of Chernihiv, Odesa, and Poltava regions.

As the director of the development program of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, Andreas Huber, reported, an additional 4.3 million Swiss francs (approximately UAH 170 million) were allocated to the DECIDE project to rebuild schools.

The Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project, or "Decentralization for the Development of Democratic Education," supports two necessary reforms — education and decentralization. Its purpose is to promote the involvement of citizens of territorial communities in democratic governance, equal use of its results, and access to quality education.