Sumy Region To Expand Underground Schools

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“The process is ongoing and being scaled up as much as possible. We have also prepared cost estimates and site-specific documentation for another 14 facilities, and we are engaging partners,” Hryhorov said.

He explained that construction of new underground schools is focused primarily on the region's larger cities, where most students are concentrated.

Of the region's 280 schools, 225 have their own shelters, including more than 70 with radiation-protective facilities.

According to Hryhorov, this infrastructure helps sustain a high level of in-person and blended learning. Currently, 75,000 children attend school across the region. Twenty-two schools operate entirely in person, while 193 use a blended learning format.

Read also: Ukraine's first underground kinder garten opens in Kharkiv region

Expanding the region's network of protective shelters is critical. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Russian forces have damaged 165 schools in Sumy region and completely destroyed another 21.

As previously reported, another underground school opened in Sumy in September. Designed to accommodate 500 students, it allows children to attend classes in person in a safe environment.

Photo credit: Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science

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