European Commission has announced € 100 million support package for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of schooling facilities in Ukraine
The European Commission and the Government of Ukraine have signed a € 100 million support package for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of schooling facilities damaged during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Of this € 100 million, € 34 million will be in humanitarian aid € 66 million to be provided directly to the Ukrainian Government as budget support. Of these € 34 million, € 20 million channelled through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and € 14 million through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This support will focus on light and medium repairs including repairs of windows, roofs, doors, sanitation and heating facilities, as well as providing classroom equipment in learning spaces and bomb shelters.
Speaking on the occasion, the President of European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen, said, “Russia’s targeted attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially as winter grips the country, are a deliberate crime against millions of innocent people. And they are a gross violation of international law. The E.U.’s top priority is to bring back as soon as possible Ukrainian children back to school. Today we are delivering on our promise to support the rehabilitation of schools damaged and destroyed by Russia’s brutal war. And by early 2023, we will also deliver school buses for Ukraine so children can actually travel to school in the best possible conditions. The future of Ukraine begins with its children back in schools.”
Taking it to twitter, Ursula tweeted,
The future of Ukraine begins with its children.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 16, 2022
We are helping rebuild the schools destroyed by Russia’s war, with €100 million in EU funds.
And we are sending hundreds of school buses so children can travel to school safely.
More are coming.#SchoolBusesForUkraine pic.twitter.com/gyBgmZC1yM
First Lady of Ukraine – Olena Zelenska said, “I am grateful to the European Commission, and President Ursula von der Leyen in particular, for supporting the restoration of Ukrainian schools. Today, less than a third of children in Ukraine have possibility to regularly attend a school. The rest have to study online or in a hybrid format. Due to constant shelling and blackouts, it becomes increasingly difficult. For my Foundation, the restoration of the educational process is a priority. Education of our children today is our contribution to the common European future.”
The European Commission has allocated around € 14 million from an ongoing contract with the Polish Development Bank “Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego” to purchase school buses. The European Commission has also launched an E.U.-wide solidarity campaign for donating school buses for Ukraine. This will be channelled through the E.U. Civil Protection Mechanism. As of now, the European Commission has received 240 buses.
The European Commission will work together with the Ukrainian Government and the Olena Zelenska Foundation. The € 66 million of budget support will be released in the next few weeks. UNOPS and UNDP have started the damage assessment of the facilities to rehabilitate on the ground. A majority of the educational facilities that will benefit from this grant will be repaired between December 2022 and September 2023.
As of now, Russian strikes have damaged or destroyed over 2,800 education institutions, impacting 5.7 million school-aged children. Online education does not always work, with limited power nor access to appropriate IT equipment. To ensure continuity of education, the rehabilitation of school buildings and the provision of school buses have become a top priority for the E.U.
