Geneva, Switzerland

Since the Russian invasion of Kyiv began some 552 days back, more than 1,300 schools have been totally destroyed in Ukraine, while many others have been seriously damaged, said Children's Fund UNICEF on Tuesday.

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The hidden cost of war

As per the Children's Fund, persistent attacks mean that only about one-third of school going age children in Ukraine are attending schools. Many, it said, are forgetting what they may have learned earlier.

"Inside Ukraine, attacks on schools have continued unabated, leaving children deeply distressed and without safe spaces to learn," said the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), as reported by Reuters.

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The UN agency stated that while some schools have suffered direct hits, others have taken precautionary steps and have closed down as the 18 months of missile and artillery attacks on residential areas across the country continue.

Four years lost

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As per the UN agency, this is the fourth consecutive year Ukrainian children are facing disruptions to their education. Before the Russia-Ukraine war, Covid was the reason behind the disruption of their school education.

"Inside Ukraine, attacks on schools have continued unabated, leaving children deeply distressed and without safe spaces to learn," said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia.

"Not only has this left Ukraine's children struggling to progress in their education, but they are also struggling to retain what they learnt when their schools were fully functioning," she added.

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As per AFP, UNICEF survey data shows around half of Ukraine's teachers have reported a deterioration in their students' abilities, like reading, language and mathematics. They also reported that the children have missed out on the sense of safety and friendships school can provide to those enduring war.

Enrolment data indicates that only about one-third of the children were learning fully in-person, another third were studying through remote, online classes, and the remaining were getting education through a mixed approach. 

It also found that two-thirds (or about 66 per cent) of pre-school-age children weren't attending school. In frontline areas, this figure rises to three-fourths or 75 per cent. 

Those who have sought refuge outside Ukraine face other uncertainties. More than half the refugee children across seven host countries are not enrolled in schools due to language barriers, difficulty in accessing schools and overstretched education systems.

(With inputs from agencies)

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