UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Apr 03 — The construction of the first underground school has been completed in Kharkiv. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced this on April 2.
“We will continue to work to build such schools in all districts of Kharkiv. Currently, we are considering Novobavarskyi, Kholodnohirskyi, and Shevchenkivskyi districts,” he said.
The school building, according to the mayor, meets the highest safety standards. It has 20 classrooms and can accommodate 900 students in two shifts. The classroom desks can adjust to students’ height. Children from different classes can use them.
At the school, various drinks are available for students. The chefs will prepare the food in the neighboring school’s kitchen. They will then deliver it to the underground school. Students will eat in turns in the dining room during breaks.
For now, enrollment for the next school year is almost complete. This year, 600 children will study in the underground school.
The cost of construction of this school was over UAH 58 million [$1.4 million]. Kharkiv administration allocated these funds from the city budget. The classroom equipment was transported from nearby schools. In the future, the underground school will receive the necessary equipment from international partners.
On September 4, schoolchildren in Kharkiv started the school year at the subway school. It was set up at station No. 5. More than a thousand students attended classes offline.
Then, first-grade students started studying in the first shift from 09 a.m. to 12 p.m. The second shift ran from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. On January 15, a kindergarten started operating at Kharkiv subway stations to help children prepare for school.
Also, the construction of two underground schools in the Kharkiv region, Liubotyn and Korotych, is underway. The shelter in Korotych village near Kharkiv will be fully completed by spring 2024.
Oleh Syniehubov, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, states the works in Korotych cost UAH 99.1 million [$2.5 million]. The shelter will include rooms, bathrooms, and three exits. One exit is an elevator for people with disabilities. It will also have an autonomous power supply and the ability to withstand a direct hit from a S-300 missile. Work on the construction of the shelter began in October 2023.
Earlier, the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration noted that they plan to complete the underground schools in Korotych and Liubotyn, Kharkiv district, in January-February 2024.
In addition, Syniehubov said that shelters are being restored at educational institutions in the Krasnohrad and Lozova districts. He noted an opportunity for offline learning in these districts. A safe space is required.
Photo credits: First underground school in Kharkiv/ Photo: Denys Klymenko for Gwara Media.
Read more
- A Recruitment Center was opened in the Kharkiv Administrative Service Center. This is a place where people who want to join Ukraine’s defense and security forces are helped according to their wishes and skills.
Subscribe to news from Kharkiv, Ukraine
Most important stories from the frontline region
