At School 35 in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the doors to the classrooms suddenly open. Students stream out. In pairs. Hand in hand. It looks chaotic, but everyone is moving in the same direction. Outside, the flight alarm is howling. Russian rockets and drones may be heading towards the city, which is located in eastern Ukraine. SHELTER: The students are drilled in getting down quickly into the shelter. Every single student is counted to ensure that no one is left behind, says the headmaster. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news It is important to get to safety as quickly as possible. Little feet scurry down the stairs. In a few minutes, the shelter in the basement is filled with students and teachers. For photographer Gunnar Bratthammer and me, it’s quite a sight. We were in the middle of an interview with one of the teachers when the alarm went off, but now we too have had to follow them down into the basement. Hundreds of students have found their places in no time. On the walls hang notes: 2B, 4A. BOMB ROOM: The school has installed desks in the basement. If the students have to be in the shelter for a long time, the teachers can teach from here. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news There are no signs of panic. In a corner on some benches, the teenagers are sitting with their mobile phones. Someone laughs out loud. The little ones sit obediently on small chairs. A lady in a bright red suit jacket, black hair and high heels enters the basement room. She takes out her mobile phone. It is the principal, Irina Karpenko. RESPONSIBILITY: Principal Irina Karpenko is responsible for getting all the students down to the shelter when the flight alarm goes off. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news At the touch of a button, she informs all parents that their children are safe. She looks at us and says: – Sometimes this happens four times during one school day. She shrugs, shakes her head a little. Now it’s just a matter of waiting. School at war What is it like to be a teacher and student in Ukraine? What is the war doing to the schooling of Ukrainian children? When Russian forces attacked Ukraine on February 24 last year, schools in the country closed. All switched to digital teaching. With the corona pandemic fresh in their minds, most of the teachers and students knew how to organize themselves. But it’s been over a year and a half. Today, 1/3 of the pupils are back at school, 1/3 have lessons both at school and from home, while 1/3 are still sitting at home in front of a screen. TEACHER: Teacher Marina Lavronenko sits alone in the classroom. All her students continue to receive digital teaching. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news The Ukrainian authorities have decided that the schools can only accept as many students as there is room for in the shelter. If the school doesn’t have a bomb shelter, no, then it can’t stay open. At school no. 35 in Dnipro, most of the approximately 1,000 pupils were physically in place after this year’s summer holiday. But not all at the same time. Over half of the classes are at school only every two weeks. Some are not in school at all. For example, the class of eight-year-old Sofia. Don’t you dare send your daughter to school – It’s simply too scary, says mum Anna Konoval. We are sitting at home in their kitchen. Hot tea in the cups and grapes on the table. Anna’s voice trembles when she talks about her daughter’s safety. Sofia and mum Anna Konoval at home in the apartment in Dnipro. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news – It is safer that she is at home. For almost two years, we have lived with aircraft alarms and the sound of explosions. I need to know that I can protect her if something happens, says Anna. Before school started, she and other parents were invited to the school. There they were given a tour of the shelter. DREAM: When she grows up, Sofia wants to be a veterinarian or a computer programmer. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Anna says she trusts the teachers and that the school does what it can to take care of the students, but still, she is unable to let her eight-year-old go. She is not alone in that either. All the parents in Sofia’s class do the same. Free time in the living room In the next room, Sofia is going about the school day. She is sitting at the desk in her room. The bed is scared up. The stuffed animals are neatly placed next to each other. On the tablet, she can see her teacher and classmates. The day starts with them taking a song. The timetable also includes maths and a test in Ukrainian. HOME SCHOOL: The school day is underway. Sofia raises her hand. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Sofia had just over half of the first class at school before the invasion. In second grade, she ran into her classmates once when they went on a field trip to a museum. On the way back, they also visited the classroom at the school. – It is better to be at school than at home, says Sofia. Then I can be with my friends and it is easier to understand when the teacher explains. TURNS: During the breaks, Sofia trundles around the living room. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news In her free time she is in the living room. Here, Sofia walks around with a large gym ball. She practices until she has to go to cheerleading – training in the evening. FRIENDS: Sofia misses her friends. She will also have digital teaching this school year. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news The little family has had to rearrange their everyday lives to be with Sofia. Mum is at home on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, a childminder comes. Father looks after Friday. CONSEQUENCES: Anna Konoval is worried about her daughter Sofia (8). – They lose so much of their childhood. They are not allowed to be with other children. The important social training through play disappears, says mum. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Classrooms under the ground It is especially in the east of the country that Ukrainian schools are struggling. A few hours north of Dnipro lies Kharkiv. Ukraine’s second largest city. From here it is only 35 kilometers to the Russian border. The city is often attacked with missiles and drones. With flight alarms several times a day, it has become practically impossible to run a school. But after the summer holidays, new solutions were in place. SUBWAY: In Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, 60 new classrooms were ready to receive students at the underground stations. Photo: SERGEY BOBOK / AFP Local authorities had furnished 60 new classrooms in the underground stations in the city. There is room for 1,000 students here. Now the city will also build its first underground school, proclaimed the mayor of the city. The children pay a high price School children in Ukraine pay a high price in the war. According to a report from UNICEF, which came out earlier this autumn, more than half of the teachers who were asked report that the pupils learn less. Sofia’s teacher, Marina Lavronenko, also says a lot of learning is lost when students cannot meet each other. We won’t see how big the consequences will be until the war is over, says Marina. ALONE: Marina Lavronenko misses her students. Since the invasion last February, several classes have only had digital teaching. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Before the start of school this autumn, the education minister also said that if pupils who had not been able to sleep properly at night due to aircraft alarms, should not be forced to go to school. The principal cannot show weakness Back to the basement of the school in Dnipro. In a corner sit the 13-year-olds Veronika, Sasja and Timofi. – Are you scared, I ask? – No. We are used to this. In the beginning it was a little scary, but now this has become normal, the students answer. NOT AFRAID: 13-year-olds Sasja, Veronika and Timofi have become accustomed to seeking refuge in the school’s basement. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news After a little over half an hour, the flight alarm goes off. There was no attack this time. But for the principal, Irina Karpenko, she has to think that it can be serious every single time. Being responsible for 500 students during a potential rocket attack is no joke. The principal does what she can to drive her school into war. It is important to look for solutions and create security. WAITING: The rivers are gathered in the basement of the school after an aircraft alarm. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news She compares herself to the captain of a ship or the pilot of an airplane. – I am worried about my students, but I cannot allow myself to be weak or show insecurity. I have to lead the way and always be at the forefront, keep my spirits up Then the headmaster takes out his mobile again. At the touch of a button, parents are notified. The flight alert is over. All the children are safe and the school day continues.
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Pupils in Dnipro have to go to shelters four times a day, says the principal – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
