"It's not the destruction of the building that makes me emotional," Tsyhanenko says, "It's the destruction of childhood." They cleared out the shards of glass that blasted through classrooms, onto the bookshelves, cubbies and beds. City workers fashioned wood boards over the broken windows. The day after the shelling at the kindergarten, brightly colored children's toys still poked out from the rubble of the damaged kindergarten classrooms and outdoor play area. Even if a school had a shelter, there wouldn't be enough time to get children down there. With its proximity to Russia, there are often only a few minutes between the air raid sirens and an explosion. Other estimates, including one from the mayor of the city, put that number closer to 100.Įven for schools that are intact, the daily missile attacks and shelling in Kharkiv make offering safe, in-person learning a major challenge. It's especially stark in Kharkiv, where more than 40 schools have been damaged by shelling, according to an analysis by the Centre for Information Resilience. A new report from Save the Children, a U.S-based humanitarian organization, found an average of four preschools a day have been damaged or destroyed in the war in Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion in February, 2,177 education facilities have been damaged, and 284 have been destroyed, according to the Ministry of Education and Science. "It reaffirmed that we must do school online." "I was scared, but now I'm angry," says Yana Tsyhanenko, the head of school, who was in another part of the building during the attack. The cheerfully-painted multicolor steps they were standing on collapsed, and their blood still stains the concrete.
They're now both in the hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries. The two teacher assistants were badly injured in the blast. The shelling damaged classrooms and shattered school windows. On that day in late August, two teacher assistants stepped outside to take out the trash when the kindergarten was rocked by an explosion. Bottom right: Blood stains remain on the stairs a day after the shelling. Bottom left: Flowers were placed on the stairs where two teaching assistants were injured. NPR Top: A kindergarten in Kharkiv that was recently hit by shelling. "Usually the streets are filled with children and families going to school," she says, "but this morning it was just us."
After more than six months of staying close to home and rarely seeing friends, the start of school offers a bit of the familiar.īut even walking to school this morning wasn't as normal as Shtefan thought it would be. Both mom and daughter have been looking forward to this day - to coming to school - for months. Her husband, a doctor, is in the armed forces and away from home. Watching them hold hands, reunited, Varya's mother, Alina Shtefan, remarked that the moment almost felt normal - when so much isn't normal. The friends hadn't seen each other since school shut down in February, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Two older students, Mariia and Varya, both 9, watch from a shared chair in the corner, holding hands and giggling. Because of the war, this is one of just a handful of schools in the city offering in-person classes. Older students cheer while families try and catch every moment on their phones. This fall, the war with Russia has disrupted - but not destroyed - this beloved tradition in a country that places enormous importance on education.Īt a small private school in the city of Dnipro, the day starts with a teacher leading each new first-grader through a hula hoop decorated with ribbons and leaves - initiating them into their school-aged life.
Families bring teachers bouquets of flowers - there are usually so many flowers on the first day that the classrooms are bursting with colorful blooms. Children dress up in traditional Ukrainian vyshyvankas with brightly colored embroidery. Known as the Day of Knowledge, there are usually big celebrations - with rehearsed dances, concerts and lots of balloons. KHARKIV and DNIPRO, Ukraine - The first day of school in Ukraine is a big deal.
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