BOBRYK, Ukraine. Children in Ukraine started the new academic year on Monday in classrooms built underground to protect them from Russian bombings, a stark reminder of how education has adapted under the shadow of war.
In the village of Bobryk in northern Sumy region, near the front line, an entire school has been relocated to a basement to ensure students can continue learning despite frequent air raid alerts. The move was made two years ago, when alarms sometimes lasted up to 20 hours, forcing classes to stop.
“We must do everything so this generation is not lost,” said school principal Oleksii Korenivskyi. “Time is the only thing you cannot make up. This is our future, and we must give it everything we have.”
The once damp and dark basement of an administrative building has been refurbished with electricity, ventilation, and new flooring. Classrooms are narrow, divided by heavy plastic sheets, with no windows or doors. Despite the conditions, students arrived in traditional embroidered shirts, vyshyvanka, bringing flowers for their teachers to mark the first day of school.
Bobryk, home to about 2,000 residents, has a small school with just over 100 students. About 10 percent have left since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, with more families preparing to move abroad. For those who remain, underground learning has become routine.
“If you have to choose between online or in the basement, the basement is better,” said 15-year-old student Vlada Mykhailyk, who is set to move to Austria with her younger brother. She admitted she would rather finish school with her friends.
The original school building, an early 20th-century structure, now stands empty. Until conditions improve, lessons will continue underground in two shifts, with shortened breaks due to limited space.
For many of the students, hopes are simple. “We’re here because it’s wartime and there are a lot of sirens,” said 7-year-old Eva Tui, who is beginning her third year underground. Her wish for the school year: “To go back to the classroom. It feels more like home.” Her bigger dream, she added: “For the war to end.”
A mother walks with her daughter into the basement of a municipal building during the first day in school in Bobryk, Sumy region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. The Bobryk school was forced to move to the basement due to endless alarms. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
