UNICEF: War in Ukraine has devastated education
More than 1,300 schools have been completely destroyed in government-controlled areas of Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022, while others have been severely damaged, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters.
The persistent attacks mean that only one-third of school-age children in this area are fully attending in-person classes, and many are already forgetting what they have learned, UNICEF data show.
Outside of Ukraine, more than half of children whose families have fled the war to seven countries are not enrolled in national education, UNICEF said, citing language barriers and overburdened education systems as causes.
Some schools have been hit by direct strikes, while others have been closed as a precaution in the 18 months of rocket and artillery attacks on residential areas across the country. "Inside Ukraine, attacks on schools have continued unabated, leaving children deeply traumatised and without safe spaces to learn," UNICEF said.
The war has followed disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that some Ukrainian children are facing a fourth consecutive school year of disruptions to their education. They are due to return to classes this week after summer vacation, UNICEF said.
"This has not only left Ukrainian children struggling to progress in their education, but they are also struggling to retain what they learned when their schools were fully functional," said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF's regional director for Europe and Central Asia.
About half of Ukrainian teachers have reported a decline in students' skills in language, reading, and mathematics, and they have lost the sense of safety and friendships that school can offer to those enduring war, UNICEF said.
