Lviv Officials Deny Claims Of Mass Absenteeism Among IDP Children Due To Bullying

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) According to Ukrinform, Andrii Zakaliuk, head of the Department of Education and Culture at the Lviv City Council, stated this on Facebook.

"The claim about '50,000 displaced children not attending schools in Lviv due to bullying' is not just manipulation. It is an outright lie. These figures have nothing to do with reality," Zakaliuk wrote.

According to him, thousands of children who were forced to relocate due to the war are studying in Lviv schools, and the city is working daily to help them integrate – not just in words, but in practice.

The official also cited verifiable data: more than 4,600 children with internally displaced status are enrolled in Lviv's schools and kindergartens, while the total number of displaced children in the city – including young children and students up to 18 – is about 12,000.

"Where are the '50,000'? In whose imagination do they exist? For reference, Lviv has a total of 87,000 students," the post reads.

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At the same time, Zakaliuk acknowledged that conflicts do occur. However, portraying isolated cases as a "mass phenomenon" is either a complete detachment from reality or a deliberate attempt to distort it, he said.

"And one more thing. Some children really do not attend Lviv schools – but not because of the fabricated 'mass bullying.' Some remain in remote learning at their original schools to maintain ties with home. Others need time for psychological adaptation," he added.

It is worth noting that the figure of 50,000 children had been circulated on social media, citing education expert Ivanna Kobernyk, who said in a program that there are about 50,000 school-age internally displaced children in the city, but fewer than 10,000 attend local schools, with bullying – including over language – named as one of the reasons.

Photo: freepik

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