The War in Ukraine: From Classrooms to Bomb shelters

As the war in Ukraine escalates, teachers are working hard to educate the country's children, despite the tragic disruption caused by the conflict. Millions of school - age children who overcame Covid - 19 now face a new challenge, as they are forced to continue their schooling in basements and bomb shelters.

According to the World Bank, nearly 665,000 students (amounting to 16% of those enrolled in education) have fled to neighbouring countries, unsure of how long they must put their learning on hold. In addition to this mass relocation of students, the damage and destruction to educational facilities has been catastrophic. The Ministry of Education + Science of Ukraine (MoES) has indicated that as of May 6th 2022, 1,635 schools and universities have been damaged and 126 destroyed by the conflict.

Although 86% of schools have 'officially resumed classes', this is exclusively via the means of online or distanced learning platforms. During the pandemic, Ukrainian schools faced 8 months of closure and have now been unable to function for a further 3 months due to the war. The effect of this on the wellbeing and educational development of school children will be incredibly damaging and we must work to reduce this fallout.

AACT condemns this unspeakable disruption to the lives of young people and will continue to aspire to lessen the short and long term impacts on Ukraine's education system.