About 3 million Ukrainian children to begin another wartime school year
Around 3 million children are expected to attend Ukrainian schools in the new academic year, with hundreds of thousands continuing to study remotely because of the war, a Ukrainian lawmaker said.
About 2.2 million pupils are expected to attend classes in person, while another 700,000 to 800,000 will study in a hybrid format, according to Iryna Borzova, a member of parliament's youth and sports committee.
Around 200,000 children living in frontline areas will study entirely remotely. Another 400,000 Ukrainian schoolchildren currently living abroad are also expected to continue their education remotely.
Ukrainian schools are allowed to operate in person only if they have access to shelters. Borzova said 11,375 schools across the country currently meet that requirement.
Around 240,000 children are expected to enter first grade this year, about 10% fewer than last year.
In Kyiv, authorities say 95% of schools are ready for in-person learning, although individual schools will decide whether to operate in person, remotely or in a hybrid format.
Ahead of the start of the school year, Ukraine's education ombudsperson also urged schools to avoid large ceremonial gatherings on Sept. 1 because of security risks.
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