War-battered city of Kharkiv wants to build Ukraine’s first underground school

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced that the city wants to build the first underground school in Ukraine. 

It will meet all needed regulations for bomb shelters, Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram, Rubryka reports.

What is the problem?

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, the Russian forces have shelled the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region, which borders Russia in the northeast, almost daily. Towns near the border or the front line are often hit by the Russian shelling.

The most recent strike was on the night of October 1, when the Russian forces fired S-300 anti-aircraft missiles at Kharkiv. At least three powerful explosions were heard in the city after midnight the night before. Then, local authorities confirmed that the Russians attacked the city.

Serhii Melnyk, the Chief of the Kharkiv Defense Forces, told in the documentary film by Dmytro Komarov that at the beginning of the full-scale war, the Russian forces destroyed 90% of Kharkiv's air defense.

What is the solution?

While congratulating educators on Teacher's Day, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov unveils a new solution to make children's learning safer. He said the city would build Ukraine's first underground school as secure as the bomb shelter.

How does it work?

"Such a sheltered school will allow thousands of Kharkiv children to continue safe face-to-face education even during missile threats," the mayor said.

Terekhov added that Kharkiv would continue to invest in education and won't reduce funding both this year and next year "not even for a penny," despite the lack of budget.

Rubryka reported that the city introduced classrooms in the subway, used by Kharkiv residents as a bomb shelter.  Rooms for 60 school classes have been arranged underground. More than a thousand schoolchildren should study there.

The city council said that a school bus would bring schoolchildren accompanied by teachers to metro stations along 34 developed routes. Psychologists and doctors will also work at the stations. Children will be provided with meals paid for from the city budget.

Before the new academic year started, Ihor Terekhov said that general secondary schools in Kharkiv would work remotely, but schoolchildren would attend offline classes in the subway several times weekly.

Background

Teacher's Day is a professional holiday for educators in Ukraine, celebrated annually on the first Sunday of October. On the eve of the holiday, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented awards to educators and students.

To make the contribution of teachers visible, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi called on Ukrainians to share positive stories about their teachers.