UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Oct 4 —  There are plans to build three more underground schools in Kharkiv, as demand for hybrid education is growing, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Ukrainian TV.

Russia frequently attacks Kharkiv with various kinds of airstrikes because of its proximity to the border and frontline. To provide safe online education for children, local authorities and humanitarian organizations built several underground schools throughout the city. 

Ihor Terekhov noted that there are currently 53,000 schoolchildren in the city, and parents’ demand for hybrid education is high.

“We built the first underground school in Ukraine to allow our children to study offline. Almost 1,000 children study there in two shifts. In addition, we have equipped classrooms at six subway stations. But the demand is very high. That is why we are already building three underground schools in different districts of Kharkiv and plan to build three more. That means there will be six more such schools,” said Ihor Terekhov.

On September 19, Ihor Terekhov said that the city’s first underground school wasn’t “significantly” damaged during the Russian air attack on Kharkiv. The school was damaged after Russians launched an air attack on Kharkiv, hitting three districts of the city with S-300 missiles and FAB-250 glide bombs.

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