Anna Novosad: russia has destroyed one in seven Ukrainian schools

russia has already destroyed one out of every seven Ukrainian schools during the ongoing war, devastating the nation’s educational infrastructure.

Anna Novosad, founder of SavED and former Ukrainian Minister of Education and Science (2019-2020), highlighted the alarming toll on Ukrainian schools at the 10th Kyiv Security Forum for Youth, hosted by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation.

“russia has demolished every seventh Ukrainian school. Imagine, every seventh school either no longer exists or is severely damaged,” she emphasized.

She explained that russia’s strategy is calculated. “They know that Ukrainians will never outnumber russians. Our only path forward is through intellectual strength—to have the capacity to rebuild this country after the war,” Novosad said.

Her foundation, SavED, is focused on restoring education in smaller towns left entirely without schools. “In these areas, we’re exploring solutions like modular schools. Thanks to our Armed Forces, we can now make progress in places like Mykolaiv. However, in the Kharkiv region, education is limited to underground spaces—converted basements serve as makeshift classrooms to provide at least some form of learning,” she noted.

At many conferences that focus on educational reforms, Novosad redirects attention to the ground reality her foundation faces.

“Right now, preserving the status quo is our priority. Instead of talking about major reforms, salary increases, or improvements in quality, we’re focused on holding onto what we have,” she concluded.

The Kyiv Security Forum for Youth is a premier platform for young leaders to engage in discussions on national security and global affairs.

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