Four million children returned to classrooms in Ukraine this Thursday, a return witnessed by UNICEF, a reminder of the thousands of schools destroyed in the country and the sense of insecurity that persists from the ongoing conflict.
To conclude a three-day visit across the country, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, accompanied the start of the new school year in Ukraine in the field, meeting students, parents and teachers.
“The new school year should be a time of excitement and hope, at a time when children return to class and share their summer experiences with friends and teachers,” said Catherine Russell, quoted in a statement from the agency that is part of the system. of the United Nations.
However, according to the representative, “the feeling for four million children in Ukraine is one of unrest”.
“Children return to schools – many of which were damaged during the war – with stories of destruction, not knowing if their teachers and friends will be there to welcome them. Many parents are hesitant to send their children to school, not knowing whether they will. be safe,” he continued.
According to UNICEF, thousands of schools across the country have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the conflict sparked by the Russian military offensive, which began in late February, with fewer than 60% of schools considered safe and eligible by the Ukrainian government. reopening.
On this first day of school, Catherine Russell visited a rehabilitated elementary school that had been damaged during the early weeks of the war.
“Currently, due to the capacity of the bomb shelter, only 300 students can attend this school, which is 14% of the number of students who attended this unit of education before the start of the war,” UNICEF said in the same information note.
The UN agency said today it is working with the Kiev government to help Ukraine’s children get back to learning.
Efforts to get children back into learning include rehabilitating schools, providing laptops, tablets and other materials to teachers and students, as well as wartime safety counseling for children and teachers.
“Schools in Ukraine are desperate for resources to build bomb shelters instead of playgrounds, teaching children about UXO safety rather than road safety,” UNICEF’s executive director added.
He concluded: “The education of Ukrainian children has been dramatically endangered. After more than two years of the pandemic and six months since the start of the war, their physical and mental health is under enormous pressure. More needs to be done to to address what for many has been a sad reality”.
During this visit to Ukrainian territory, Catherine Russell also met with the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, with whom, in addition to education issues, she shared “resources to strengthen the joint response to the humanitarian crisis” and “the importance of safe, timely and unimpeded humanitarian access to all children in need of critical assistance under international humanitarian law,” UNICEF said.
The military offensive launched by Russia on February 24 in Ukraine has already led to nearly 13 million people fleeing — more than six million displaced persons and nearly seven million to neighboring countries — according to the latest UN data, which describes this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion, justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and impose it on Russia. sanctions.
The UN presented more than 5,600 civilian casualties as confirmed, stressing that this number is far below true values.
Source: DN
