Restoration work is underway at 107 educational facilities in Kyiv damaged by Russian attacks, with repairs at five of them not expected to be completed before the start of the school year, Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) deputy head Valentyn Mondriyivsky has said.
"Since the start of the full-scale war, 314 educational facilities in Kyiv have been damaged as a result of Russian aggression. This year alone, 107 facilities have been hit. Repair work is currently underway at 47 schools and 41 kindergartens," he said.
He noted that, as of August 13, restoration work will not be fully completed by the start of the school year at five schools. These are three schools in the Shevchenkivskyi district – No. 101, No. 73 and No. 199 – as well as lyceum No. 160 and special school No. 10 in the Darnytskyi district.
"We understand that parents are concerned about whether children will be able to return to classes on September 1. The school year will begin at all schools in Kyiv. But given the scale of the damage, we are not physically able to fully restore all buildings by that date. For example, if 90% of a school’s windows were blown out by shelling, replacing them is not a matter of a few days. The proper procedures have to be followed, procurement has to be carried out. Today both manufacturers and contractors are working under conditions of limited resources, so completing such work requires additional time," Mondriyivsky said.
He stressed that the situation remains fluid, as Kyiv continues to face a constant threat of Russian shelling, meaning there is a risk of further damage, including to educational facilities. The city is therefore continuously assessing the situation and will adjust the learning format at individual schools if necessary.
"Our task is to enable every child to start the school year in safe conditions. Where buildings are still being restored, the educational process will be organized in an in-person/distance-learning format. Work will continue in parallel until the facilities are fully restored," he said.
He added that the working format for each facility will be determined based on the security situation and the actual condition of the building as of September 1.
