Donetsk Sep 1 — DAN. More than 420 schools in the Donetsk People’s Republic plan to start the new schoolyear in physical classrooms while others will offer online classes amid the threat of Ukrainian artillery attacks, said the DPR Education and Science Ministry press service. 

“There are 588 schools operating in the region, ” the press service told the Donetsk News Agency. The start-of-the schoolyear ceremonies will be held indoors for safety reasons for onsite pupils; elsewhere, pupils and teachers will have online meetings.”

 Kiev aggression prompted changes in the teaching process which now envisions intensive evacuation training. School bomb shelters have been provided with service water and firefighting supplies.

Ninety-one schools have been repaired in the DPR by September 1 and repairs on another 56 will be finished by the end of this year.  The Russian Industry and Trade Ministry plans to supply catering facilities to 357 schools by yearend, while sponsor regions will provide equipment for 174 computer classes, 16,000 sports goods and more than 42,700 pieces of furniture.

Hot meals are provided to 55,108 children in the first four grades and 16,944 pupils from the welfare beneficiaries group in grades 5 to 11. They make up some 46 percent of more than 156,000 schoolchildren in the DPR.  Education authorities will continue to provide food kits to schoolchildren in Donetsk, Makeyevka and Yasinovataya.

DPR libraries have replenished their stocks with 638,000 textbooks. “We’re expecting the delivery of textbooks for pupils in 1st through 11th grades as well as new history books for 10th and 11th graders, ” the Education and Science Ministry said.

 The DPR school curriculum now includes federal general education programs such as Russian language and literature, social studies, geography and health and safety.*jk