Construction is underway on ten underground schools in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeast Ukraine, designed to protect thousands of children against Russian air raids.
Local authorities in Zaporizhzhia are creating bunkers to provide safe in-person learning facilities for children living through the war that was triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The goal is to accommodate nearly 45,000 students by the end of 2024, according to the Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne.
Region needs "to build approximately 20 schools"
Head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, said construction work is currently underway on six of the ten schools in the oblast.
"We're doing everything to create safe conditions for the educational process in Zaporizhzhia, despite the difficulties and challenges," Fedorov stated. Repairs are also currently underway on 20 existing underground shelters at schools in the region.
However, Fedorov says more are still needed.
"In order to cover the needs of the region, we need to build approximately 20 schools," explained Fedorov.
"But the plans are limited by several factors: time, money and a sufficient number of contractors who are ready to perform the work. We expect that by the end of the year, approximately 10 will be built."

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