Rebuilding Ukraine: EU boosts restoration of 26 schools across four Ukrainian regions

The full-scale war in Ukraine continues to destroy the educational infrastructure: in fact, every seventh school has been damaged by Russian shelling or occupation. As a result, Ukrainian students cannot have traditional, in-person education and face challenges accessing high-quality instruction and social interactions. Many areas are relying on online learning, which is further complicated by frequent power outages. Additionally, over 500,000 Ukrainian children are currently studying abroad due to the circumstances.

Rubryka reports this.

The European Union has allocated a €28 million aid package to Ukraine, with a portion of it going towards rebuilding 80 schools damaged during the full-scale invasion. UNOPS, or the United Nations Office for Project Services, is overseeing this project and is already working on restoring 26 schools in the Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kyiv regions as part of the second stage of the "Restoration of Schools in Ukraine" initiative.

"The fourth Sustainable Development Goal concerns providing fair, high-quality education for all. Thanks to the implementation of this project, UNOPS is already contributing to a more secure future in which Ukrainian schoolchildren can get an education in comfortable conditions. It is important for us that, when the situation allows, students could return to their native educational institutions because children are the country's future," Simon Porter, head of the UNOPS Office in Ukraine, said.

During this project phase, the chosen schools were evaluated for the extent of damage. Using this information, specific repair tasks were identified for each school. These included installing new windows and doors, fixing roofs and heating systems, renovating sports halls and classrooms, and other necessary repairs. Most schools also received modern furniture, including desks, chairs, boards, and cabinets.

"The European Union remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine. Ukrainian children and their future are at the center of these efforts. Together with our partners, we are fulfilling our promise to support the rebuilding of schools that have been damaged or destroyed by the war waged by Russia.

As part of the project's implementation with UNOPS, more than 15,000 students will be able to return to safe learning in their schools. We hope that this will create lasting positive changes for every child involved in this process," Samuel Marie-Fanon, Acting Head of the EU Humanitarian Aid Office in Ukraine, said.

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It should be noted that six underground schools are being built in the Zaporizhzhia region. Some of them plan to open already at the end of October.